Strangers on a Plane
by CandyCane85
Summary: Bella and Edward sit next to each other on a plane and strike up a conversation. Bella exits the plane and airport thinking that she will never see him again. What Bella doesn't know is that Edward is her new boss. What will she do when they meet again? AH, AU, Slightly OOC. Rated M for language and possible future lemons.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N – This is my first attempt at writing fanfiction and I do hope that everyone enjoys it! I am hoping to update at least once a week. I currently have five chapters written, and the story will most likely be at least 15 chapters. Since I do have some chapters already finished, updates will likely be a little faster for the first couple of weeks.**

**This story is unbeta'd, so any and all mistakes are solely mine. **

**Disclaimer – Twilight and the characters belong to SM. I am just borrowing them. **

BPOV

Chapter One

I really hated flying. I was deathly afraid of heights and being thousands of feet in the air in an airplane was definitely not my cup of tea. I tried my hardest to fly as little as possible, but since I lived in Seattle and my parents lived in Florida, I didn't have much of a choice when I was ready to visit them. Luckily for me I only had to fly there once a year since they often flew to Seattle to see me. But that once a year was enough to have me in a panic attack.

It was mid-August and classes would be starting back in another week. As a professor at the University of Washington I was required to be back on campus getting things ready the week before classes officially started. It was especially important this year that we all be there because we were getting a new department head and we all needed to be there to greet him. I had flown out of Seattle in July to visit my parents and I was currently waiting in the Dallas airport on a layover to catch my last flight back to Seattle.

I was in the bar waiting for my flight. Normally I took some Valium before flying so that I would sleep, but I forgot to repack them after taking them before flying to Florida. I was really hoping that the alcohol would make me sleepy, or at least relaxed, so that the next few hours wouldn't be completely unbearable for me.

By the time they called my section to board the plane, I was pleasantly tipsy. I found my seat and was glad to see that it was not next to a window. I hated being able to see outside when I was flying. I was looking down at my phone trying to send a quick text to my best friend Alice when I heard the sexiest voice beside me.

"Excuse me, miss, but could I get past you? I believe I'm in the seat right next to you."

I looked up and my jaw dropped. The most gorgeous man that I had ever seen was standing next to me with a polite smile on his handsome face. He had the most unusual shade of copper hair that I had ever seen and it was a complete mess. Normally I like the clean cut look on guys, but this man's messy hair was a major turn on, probably because it made me think that it would like that if I was tugging on it during sex. But it wasn't just the hair. He had bright emerald green eyes and a perfectly chiseled jaw. His lips were perfect. I could only imagine that they would taste perfect as well. I let my eyes wonder down his body and I was not disappointed by the rest of the package. He had on a tight fitting black t-shirt and jeans that hung low on his hips. Both did an amazing job of showing off his lean body. I bet he looked great naked.

I didn't realize that I was staring until he cleared his throat and my eyes shot back up to meet his. He had a little smirk on his face that was so sexy I wanted to kiss it right off of him. But even in my slightly inebriated state I knew that I was being beyond rude and bordering on creepy with my staring, so I quickly looked away from him and started to move so that he could sit down.

"I'm sorry, you caught me off guard," I told him as he slid in to the window seat.

He gave me that smirk again but didn't reply. I really should have been mortified at the way I completely eye-fucked this stranger, but I just couldn't bring myself to care. He was just that, a stranger, and I would never have to see him again. Well that and the fact that the alcohol was causing me to not really care what I did.

It wasn't long after that that the plane began to take off. I pulled a book out of my bag and tried to read, but really I was just using it as a cover so that I could glance over at his hands. He was writing something in a notebook and I was admiring the way his long fingers moved. I just bet that he could do lots of fun things with those fingers.

Apparently I wasn't being as sly as I thought with my glances because he suddenly shut his notebook and turned to look at me.

"You know that Ms. Bronte deserves much more attention than you are giving her right now," he said to me and my eyes snapped up to his while I wrinkled my brow in confusion. He pointed to my book and I looked down, realizing that I had pulled out my worn copy of _Jane Eyre_. I was so wrapped up in trying to sneak glances at the hottie next to me that I didn't even realize that that was what I had pulled out of my bag.

"You know Bronte?" I asked him and he smirked at me again and said "I do indeed know of Ms. Bronte. All three of them in fact. Though this is probably pretty cliché to say, I must admit that _Jane Eyre_ is my favorite of all Bronte works."

"You're hot and smart!" I exclaimed before I could stop myself.

The minute I said that his eyes got wide and I slapped my hand over my mouth.

"I'm so sorry!" I finally said to him. "That was so unbelievably rude of me. I've been drinking. I have no brain to mouth filter. I didn't mean it. I mean, of course I meant it. You are hot and you are smart. But I didn't mean to say that out loud. Because it is kind of weird and you don't know me and I don't know you. And I'm still talking and being weird. Ok, I'm shutting up now."

By this point he was chuckling at me. "It's ok that you said it out loud. And that you said all of that out loud. You didn't weird me out at all."

I turned my head back down to look at my book and let my hair fall over my shoulder, trying desperately to hide my burning face. I was mortified!

I had been staring at the same page for a few minutes, praying that the floor of the plane would just open up and swallow me whole when I heard him speak again.

"Most guys enjoy having a beautiful women compliment them."

My head shot up again and I looked at him. He smiled at me and continued "And I'm guessing you are probably smart as well. Or at least well read. That copy of _Jane Eyre _looks like you've read through it more than once."

I smiled back at him. "I love to read. I've always read the classics. I remember in high school that my copy of _Pride and Prejudice _completely fell apart from me flipping through it so much. So of course when I got to college I majored in English and now I am a professor."

He raised an eyebrow at me. "A professor that's afraid of flying and doesn't stop to think before she speaks. Interesting."

"How did you know?" I asked him. "About me being afraid of flying?"

He shrugged. "I didn't really know, but I assumed. It's barely noon and you said that you had been drinking. I figured you were either an alcoholic or trying to calm your nerves. And since you didn't really seem as though you had a drinking problem, I decided on the nerves."

I sighed and ran my hands through my hair. "You are right, of course. I drink, obviously, but I don't have a problem. I rarely drink during the day, but I usually tend to freak out on flights and I was hoping that the alcohol would calm me down. Although even if I wasn't a big baby when it came to planes I still may have had to drink after the week that I've had," I said to him.

"A bad week, huh?" He asked. "And what exactly could be so bad as to have a pretty lady like yourself resort to alcohol?"

I blushed at his compliment and just shook my head. "It's nothing. I'm sure you have better things to do than listen to a stranger talk about her problems."

I once again got that sexy smirk from him. "We are on a plane. I don't think that there is much else for me to do."

"I guess that you do have a point," I said. "So, where to begin with my shitty week? How about the fact that I found out that my asshole ex-boyfriend is getting married next month to the girl that he cheated on me with. Don't get me wrong, I'm beyond glad to be rid of him. He was a complete loser. But we were together for 5 years and he never even talked about marriage with me. Now four months after we break up he is marrying the whore that he was screwing behind my back. I wouldn't take her place for anything, but it does kind of hurt my pride a little bit."

The hottie ran his fingers through his already unkempt hair and shook his head. "Man, that's pretty messed up," he said. "But you shouldn't feel bad. If he is that much of an ass then I'm sure he didn't deserve you. Instead of letting that make you have a shitty week, you should be celebrating the fact that you are rid of him and that the whore he is marrying will probably find him in bed with someone else before the ink is even dry on the marriage certificate."

I laughed. "Well you are probably right about that. If he wasn't faithful to me then I doubt he will be faithful to her. And I should probably be celebrating the fact that I have him out of my life. Honestly I don't know why I stayed with him for as long as I did. I have a PhD and a steady job and he could barely hold a job working for his parents because he liked to go out and party too much. Man, I was dumb."

"No you weren't dumb. But you are probably better off without him. So cheer up and tell me about your job. You said that you are a professor?"

I nodded and rolled my eyes. "Yes and that's another reason that I'm having such a crap week. I love my job, but the politics of academia really suck sometimes. The university that I'm at just hired a new Head of the English Department and I am so pissed. The university hired some douche bag from another school to come in and take over the department. They said it was because we needed new ideas or some shit like that coming into the department. That sounds all fine, but I heard through the grapevine that this guy's parents donated a ton of money to the university right before he was hired. Apparently this guy wasn't good enough to get the job on his own so he had his mommy and daddy write a check for him. I'm worried that he is going to be a complete idiot and ruin all the effort that we have put into our department. It just frustrates me, you know?"

I finished my rant and looked over at the man next to me to see that he was just staring at me. I blushed again because I apparently took his polite conversation about my job a little too far. Again, no brain to mouth filter. But I did have to admit that it felt pretty good to get that off of my chest. I had just heard about everything that happened the night before in a brief e-mail so I had not had the chance to actually talk about it to anyone.

"I'm sorry," I said. "You don't even know me and I just dumped all of that on you. Please forgive me."

"No, it's ok," he said. "I can understand why thinking something like that would be frustrating. If you don't mind me asking, what university do you teach at?"

"The University of Washington," I replied.

The man looked at me for another minute and then slowly smiled. "Well, I do hope that your work drama turns out better than you are expecting. I would hate to think that you are worrying yourself over this when you should be cultivating young minds and all of that fun stuff."

I nodded and smiled. "Thanks for listening," I said to him. "I think that I just needed to get that out. It's dumb work place drama and I really don't need to be worried with it. As long as me and the other professors continue to do what we were hired for then I'm sure everything will be fine. I don't have to like the new department head but I can be nice for my job's sake. And I can always just think about what a hopeless momma's boy he must be if he starts to bother me and that should cheer me right up!"

He laughed and shook his head but didn't say anything else about my job. I'm sure he was glad that I wasn't going into any more detail about my dull life. Ok the part about my ex probably wasn't dull, but who really wants to hear about work happenings of a complete stranger? Absolutely no one.

He and I talked about random things for the next little while, but nothing too heavy. I started getting sleepy in the last hour or so and I must have dozed off because I woke up with my head on the hottie's shoulder. When I realized what I was doing I jumped away from him.

"I'm sorry!" I exclaimed to him. "You should have just pushed me off of you. I'm sure you can't wait for this flight to be over so that you can get away from the crazy lady on the plane."

He smiled the most adorable crooked grin at me. "It's no problem, and I don't think that you are crazy. Entertaining, but not crazy. Besides, you talk in your sleep. It was pretty interesting to listen to."

My face once again flamed red. I knew that I sometimes talked in my sleep, but that didn't mean that I wanted a stranger to hear me. I couldn't even bring myself to ask him what I said for fear of further embarrassment. Instead I flipped through my book some more until we landed. I quickly grabbed my carry-on bag and said good-bye to the man that I had sat next to for the last few hours. I then hurried off the plane with the hopes of putting that experience as far out of my mind as possible. As hot as the guy was, I was glad that I would never see him again. I didn't think that I could handle any more embarrassment in front of him.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N – Here is chapter two! I just want to thank everyone that reviewed or put this story on alert. I loved seeing that some people did actually enjoy the story! :)**

**This story is unbeta'd, so any and all mistakes are solely mine.**

**Disclaimer – Twilight and the characters belong to SM. I am just borrowing them.**

EPOV

Chapter Two

I watched as the beautiful brunette that had been seated next to me on the plane hurried through the airport. I could tell that she was trying to get away from me and I was fairly certain that it was because she was embarrassed. Of course, she really didn't have any reason to be. I found her complete honesty refreshing. And, admittedly, absolutely adorable.

I was pleasantly surprised when she looked up from her cell phone after I asked her to let me into my seat. She was breathtaking. Her big brown eyes were enchanting and her long hair was just begging to be wrapped around my hands. I could only imagine what it would feel like to tangle my hands in it while kissing her senseless. I knew that she was staring at me and that if I wanted to I probably could have kissed her on that plane. Unfortunately I had unfinished business back at home to attend to in the form of a soon-to-be ex-girlfriend.

I had already been thinking about breaking things off with Tanya. We had been dating off and on for about a year when I accepted a job in Seattle. I knew that Tanya was hoping I would ask her to move from Chicago with me, but I didn't. Other than the hints that she dropped to me every so often, the thought of her moving with me never crossed my mind. That was my first clue that I needed to end things with her. I had no desire to have a long distance relationship and if I couldn't see Tanya moving with me to Seattle then there probably wasn't any real future with her. My reaction to the brunette on the plane was just the last confirmation that I needed to know I would soon be ending things with Tanya. While I see no reason to find other women attractive when I am with someone, the minute I start to fantasize about them is when I know there is a problem.

As I talked to the girl next to me on the plane, I realized that she was exactly the type of girl that I would like to be with. She was obviously smart. A PhD in English is no easy degree. I would know since I also have one. And while she obviously had a problem with keeping her thoughts to herself, I found it endearing. It was refreshing to be around a girl that told me what she was thinking rather than playing games where I was supposed to figure everything out and prove that I was a good boyfriend.

I was just gearing up to ask for her name and possibly and e-mail address so that I could talk to her once we were off the plane when she mentioned her work situation. As she was talking, I realized that she might actually be working at the university that I was just hired at. When she said that they just got a new department head, I was pretty sure that she was talking about me and didn't realize it. I was just about to tell her who I was when she made the comment about the new person's parents paying for him to get the job. I could tell that it really bothered her to think that someone was possibly getting a job that they didn't deserve. When she said that she worked at the University of Washington, I knew that I was right. I was the douche that she called a momma's boy.

I wanted to be angry at her for talking about something that she knew nothing about. I wanted to call her out on her very wrong assessment of me, but I calmed myself down before I did. I knew that my parents had donated a large sum of money to the university, but they did so after I was officially hired. And it wasn't because I was getting a job there. My father received his medical degree from the University of Washington and often donated money. He knew that the school was looking to renovate their medical school and decided to help out. I already had my job and, in fact, the university didn't even realize that I was the son of Dr. Carlisle Cullen until after the donation was made. So while the beauty next to me was partially right, it wasn't for the reasons that she thought.

I knew that I probably should have told her right then who I was and explained to her the real reason behind being hired and my parents giving the money. However, I couldn't bring myself to do so. The passion behind her words when she talked about her job was enough to let me know that she really cared about what she did. And in that moment she truly believed that her new department head, me, had bought himself a job. I didn't want to ruin our conversation, so I opted to not tell her who I was. It was probably not the smartest move on my part since she would figure it out in just a matter of days when I was officially introduced to the professors, but it gave me some time to figure out what I would say to her.

We kept talking for a while after her small tirade over her work drama before she started to fall asleep. When she first fell asleep she was sitting up in her chair and I knew that it couldn't be very comfortable, so I adjusted her to where her head was at least laying on my shoulder. She never even moved as I adjusted her. But she did start to talk. I thought that she was waking up, but I realized that her incoherent mumblings were just a part of her sleep. I didn't pay much attention to what she was saying until I heard her say "hottie." She said it more than once and I couldn't help but grin. There was no way for me to be certain, but I was pretty sure that she was talking about me. I know that I'm not bad looking, but it always feels good to have a beautiful girl dream about you and find you attractive.

I hated that she was embarrassed when she woke up and that she felt the need to rush away from me once we were able to get off of the plane. However, I also knew that I would be seeing her again in just a few short days when I was officially introduced to the English faculty at UW. Now I just needed to figure out what I was going to say to her to make her understand that I wasn't the douche that she thought I was.

~~~SoaP~~~

The next day I went to my brother Emmett's house for lunch. He and his wife Rosalie had been living in Seattle for about 2 years before I moved there. My parents were ecstatic that both of their children were finally living in the same city as them. I was honestly excited about it, too. I had missed my parents and I had missed my brother. He was only older than me by a year, so we had been really close growing up. He was much more like a best friend than a brother.

"So Edward," Rose said as we were sitting outside having a beer, "your girlfriend called me while you were away. Apparently she wants me to talk you into moving her here with you. She said that she thinks you were just worried that she would tell you 'no' if you asked and that's why you never brought the subject up with her."

"You're joking, right?" I asked her.

Rose shook her head. "I don't know where you find these girls, Edward. To be as smart as you are, you sure do find the dumbest girls to date. I knew when Emmett and I were there a few months ago that your relationship with her wasn't going to last. Why do you hang on when it is so obviously not working?"

I raked my hands through my hair and sighed. I didn't even know what to say. Emmett, however, had plenty to say. "It's because she is hot, Rosie. Not as hot as you, of course," he said when she narrowed her eyes at him. "But for our little Edward here she was looking pretty good. And she had big tits."

Rosalie smacked Emmett across the head, but I could tell that she was trying not to laugh. Hell, I was trying not to laugh myself. "You're right," I said. "Tanya is hot, but it is all fake, from the blonde hair on her head to the tits that she bought herself before we ever started dating. And having a conversation with her is completely out of the question. All she can talk about is the last thing that she bought from the mall. That's the real reason I didn't ask her to move here. Things are over between us. I should have broken it off before I got settled here, but I just didn't. Now I'm going to have to make a trip back to Chicago just so I can tell her it's over in person. I owe her that much I guess."

"I just can't believe that it took you a year to figure that out," Rose said. "Maybe next time you should try having a conversation with whatever girl you are dating instead of just fucking her all the time."

I rolled my eyes at my sister-in-law. She and Emmett really were perfect for each other. Neither of them had even the slightest problem with being crude. But it was true. Tanya and I spent too much time in bed together and not enough time together outside of the bedroom.

"I'm getting too old for these crap relationships," I told them. "I worked so hard for so long so that I could get to where I am now professionally. I never had a lot of time to invest in a girlfriend and it never really bothered me before. But the thought of bringing someone like Tanya to a party with my co-workers is slightly nauseating. I would be the laughing stock of the department with someone like her. I need someone both beautiful and smart. And I'm pretty sure I know exactly who it will be."

Rose was taking a sip of her drink when I said this, causing her to spew it across the patio. "What?" She yelled. "You've been here for all of a day and you already found someone? And you are still with Tanya? What the hell, Edward?"

I shook my head. "Calm down, Rose," I said to her while Emmett just laughed. "It's not what you are thinking. I haven't actually gone out with anyone and I am definitely not starting something with another woman before breaking it off with Tanya. But I met a woman on the plane ride here from that conference in Dallas that I attended. She actually is a professor at the university. An English professor."

"A teacher, huh? That's pretty hot," Emmett said.

Rose rolled her eyes and kept on with the questions. "So she is going to be working for you technically? Do you think that is a good idea? Did she seem to like you? What's her name? I want to look at her picture on the university's website."

I shook my head. "Well I don't actually know her name. And she has no idea who I am. She just happened to tell me that she is a professor at the university, but I didn't tell her that I was her new department head."

"Well why didn't you?" Emmett asked.

I shrugged. "It's kind of complicated," I said.

"It's always kind of complicated with you," Rose replied. "But we can still figure out her name. The university has a list of all of their faculty with a picture on their website. You can search by department. Come on and let's go look up your mystery girl."

Rose had her iPad out and ready to go before I could say anything. I was curious about my brunette, so I took the iPad and scrolled through the English department faculty until I came across her picture. She was listed as Dr. Isabella Swan. The name suited her. The only other information listed on her was that she received her PhD from Notre Dame and a list of articles that she has had a published. Just that small amount of information was impressive. Notre Dame was a hard school to get into and to only be four years out of her PhD program, she had an impressive number of published articles. She really was just as smart as she was beautiful.

I showed the picture to Rose and Emmett. Rose gave me an approving nod and Emmett claimed her to be "hot enough for a Cullen." So I finally had a name to go with the face. Now it was time for me to figure out exactly when I would be able to fly back to Chicago to break things off with Tanya and how to go about making Dr. Swan realize that she needed to give her new asshole boss a chance.

**Don't you just love Emmett? He and Rose are so perfect for each other and perfect to keep things real with our dear Edward! And now Edward has a name. I wonder what he will do with his new information?**

**I will have a new chapter posted in a few days!**


	3. Chapter 3

**And chapter three is here! Thank you to everyone that has put this story on alert or that has reviewed.. it means a lot to me that people are enjoying what I have created!**

**This story is unbeta'd, so any and all mistakes are solely mine.**

**Disclaimer – Twilight and the characters belong to SM. I am just borrowing them.**

BPOV

Chapter Three

"I can't believe that you told him he was hot! That is so unlike you!" My best friend Alice squealed after I told her about my very eventful plane ride back to Seattle. We were currently eating dinner at our favorite restaurant since we hadn't seen each other in a couple of weeks. Her boyfriend of 3 years, Jasper, was working late so Alice wanted to have some fun.

I giggled as I took another sip of my Jameson and sprite. Although I was still slightly mortified about what happened on the plane, it wasn't nearly as bad as it had been when I landed two days before. I realized in retrospect that the guy hadn't run screaming for a new seat and had actually continued engaging me in conversation, so obviously my very blunt mouth wasn't nearly as terrible as I thought.

"He was so fucking hot, Alice. Pretty much the hottest guy I've ever seen. Just looking at him made me want to jump his bones," I told her.

"That's because you haven't been laid in far too long, Bella Bop," she said back. "You and Mike have been broken up for months. And you told me yourself that before you guys broke up that you hadn't actually had sex in quite a while. It's been what? At least 6 months since you've gotten any? You definitely are in need of some fun."

I couldn't help but laugh at my friend. Of course Alice thought that sex was the answer to everything. Of course I probably would, too, if I had a guy that looked like Jasper. His curly blonde hair, baby blues, and killer Southern accent was a damn fine package. Plus he was as sweet as could be to Alice. She was very lucky to have someone like him and she knew it. And Alice is a sharer. I know more about her and Jasper's sex life than I really cared to know. According to her he had some good moves in the bedroom.

"I don't know about having random sex, but I am very much willing to go out and let loose. School starts back in two days and I am teaching five classes this semester. I also got an e-mail today letting me know that I am on the committee that was put together to work with the new douchebag department head. It's going to be a killer semester so this may be the last chance I get for quite a while to just relax and enjoy myself."

I finished off my drink and quickly ordered another one. I didn't want to get completely wasted, but I did want to get tipsy and have fun. I knew that Alice wanted to go out and Jasper said that he would meet us once he finished working to drive us around.

Alice gave another squeal of delight and did a couple of small bounces in her seat. She was full of energy as always and was definitely in the mood to go out. I'm sure that not having to take hours to talk me into going with her was just the icing on the cake.

She grabbed my phone off the table and put it in my hands. "Call Jake and find out if he is going to be at New Moon tonight!" She demanded. Jacob Black had been one of my best friends since as far back as I could remember. Our mothers had been best friends when they both got pregnant at the same time. My parents were still living in Seattle at that point, so Jake and I always played together when we were little. Once we were older our friendship just got stronger, and we stayed best friends. Although I often got the impression that Jake would be more than happy to be more than just friends, I just didn't feel the same way about him. Luckily he never acted on what I suspected to be his feelings and we were able to keep our close friendship.

Once Jake graduated from UW with his MBA he and his younger brother Paul decided to open a bar together. Paul typically ran the nighttime happenings of _New Moon_ while Jake was the behind the scenes guy that made sure the bar stayed afloat with the day-to-day business. It wasn't hard, though, for them to keep it going. Everyone loved _New Moon_ and it was always packed. They had found a perfect blend of club and bar. They created a dance floor so that people could bump and grind to the music that was always playing, but surrounding the dance floor were VIP booths that provided full table service for a not overly expensive price. It was fun to go and sit at the booth and drink while people watching.

I quickly sent Jake a text asking him if he would be at the bar tonight. It didn't take long for Jake to text me back and let me know that he would be there with a booth reserved for me.

"We're in," I told Alice and she quickly downed her drink. "Hurry and finish yours, Bella! We need to get back to your house and find something cute for you to wear!"

I looked down at my jeans, tank top and Chucks. I didn't really see anything wrong with my outfit, but I knew that Alice would never in a million years go to a bar with me dressed this way. She majored in fashion design during college and was currently the successful owner of a fun little clothing boutique here in Seattle. She refused to leave the house wearing anything other than a brand new outfit from her store and often demanded that I wear the clothes that she had designed as well. Usually I tried to talk her out of it, but I was so excited about going out to have some fun that I didn't care that I was about to be used as her own personal grown-up Barbie.

An hour later Alice was finishing my make-up and telling me to get dressed. I rarely wore much makeup, but I let her make my eyes kind of smoky and fix my long hair so that it fell in soft waves down my back. She ran to my closet and started searching for something for me to wear.

She grabbed a pair of skinny jeans that she brought me the other day and a blue halter top with pretty ruffles on the front to wear. I quickly put the clothes on and then grabbed the black Manolo Blahnik heels that she was holding. One of the perks about having a best friend that had a name for herself in the fashion world was that she always had beautiful designer shoes on hand for me to wear. When I finished putting on the outfit I went and stood in front of the mirror. Alice came to stand next to me and grinned from ear to ear at our reflection.

"We look pretty damn good," she said with a slight laugh, smoothing down the black and white dress that she was wearing. I nodded because she was right. With the right makeup, hair and clothes I was able to transform perfectly from fun and casual Bella to night time Bella. Maybe I would reconsider the random sex after all.

~~~SoaP~~~

As we walked into _New Moon_ I saw Jake sitting at the bar closest to the door talking to Paul. We walked over to where he was sitting and leaned against the bar.

"What's a girl gotta do to get a drink around here?" I asked with a grin.

"Bells!" Jake exclaimed before wrapping me into a huge hug. "I'm so glad that you decided to go out tonight. And it's great to see you, too, Alice. I saved your regular booth for you two."

I hugged Jake back and thanked him for the table. After grabbing drinks Alice and I made our way to the table that Jake had reserved for us and waited for Jasper to join us. It didn't take him long and soon the three of us were three shots and two drinks in each and having a blast. Alice wanted to dance by that point so I decided to go back to the bar and talk to Jake and grab some more drinks while she and Jasper showed off their moves on the dance floor.

I was sitting at the bar chatting with Jake when I heard two guys arguing behind me. I turned around in enough time to see the two drunk frat boys start to shove one another. Jake was up in a flash to break up the fight, but not before one of the guys fell into a girl standing next to me and caused her to spill her drink across my jeans.

"Hey watch it you little fuckers!" The blonde yelled at the two guys before turning to me with some napkins. "I am so sorry about that!" She exclaimed as she tried to help me dry some of the drink off of my jeans. "If your boyfriend hadn't already taken care of that fight then I would have decked them for you."

I laughed. "Thanks for the thought, but it's no problem. And he's not my boyfriend. He's my really good friend and one of the owners of this bar. I have no doubt that he is taking care of those two guys for us as we speak."

I glanced up at her to give her a smile to let her know I wasn't upset when she got a really strange look on her face. "Do I know you from somewhere?" She asked me.

I looked at the girl trying to see if she looked familiar. She looked like she was a model that had just come from the cat walk. She was tall and curvy with beautiful blonde hair and the most unusual shade of violet eyes that I had ever seen. I briefly wondered if she wore contacts to get her eyes that color.

I shook my head and replied "I don't think so. Perhaps you've seen me on campus though? I teach at UW."

"Yes that must be it," she said to me. "Why don't you come over to the table that my friends and I are at? You're friend seems to still be dealing with the two assholes and the least I could do is get you a drink and give you somewhere to hang out while you wait on him since you are currently wearing my drink."

"You don't have to do that. It was just an accident. But I will take you up on the offer to come to your table since Jake is gone and the friends that I came here with are currently grinding against each other on the dance floor," I said as I pointed to Alice and Jasper. I could tell from the way they currently couldn't take their hands off of each other that they weren't going to be coming back to our table anytime soon.

The blonde turned back to the bar and ordered a round of shots to bring back to the table with us. While she was waiting for them to be made she introduced herself to me. "I'm Rosalie Hale."

"I'm Bella Swan. It's nice to meet you. Now let's go take some shots!"

"Oh Bella, I have a feeling you and I will get along just fine," she said with a grin. I followed her to her table as she carried the shots. She was sitting on the other side of the dance floor from where Alice and I had our table. I could see a guy sitting there, but it was too dark in there for me to make out much about him from a distance. As we got closer to the table he stood up to grab the shots out of Rosalie's hand.

"Alright babe!" He said to Rosalie after giving her a quick kiss on the lips. "More shots! Most excellent!"

"Yea these two jerks at the bar got in a scuffle and I accidentally spilled my drink on Bella here. I decided to buy us all a round of shots and bring her over here to hang out with us to make it up to her," Rosalie said to the guy. "Bella this is my husband Emmett," she introduced as we sat down. "Emmett, this here is Bella."

The guy finally took his eyes off of his wife and glanced at me. He stared at me for a second before a huge grin spread across his face. Before I knew what was happening I was wrapped in a hug from this giant bear of a man. He had to be at least 6'5 and had more muscles than I thought possible for a man.

I laughed at the guy as he twirled me around and then sat me in the booth. "Hi Emmett!"

Rosalie just shook her head and said "you will have to forgive him, Bella. He doesn't quite understand the meaning of personal space."

"No it's totally fine. But I will say that I am ready for a shot. But why are there four? Is one of you planning on throwing back two in a row?"

They both shook their heads. "Nope," Emmett replied, making the 'p' pop at the end. "My brother Edward is here. He walked outside to take a phone call, but he should be back any minute."

The three of us chatted for a few minutes while we waited on this Edward guy. I found out that Emmett was a doctor and Rosalie was an attorney. Talk about a freaking power couple. Not only were they both beautiful, but they were smart and successful, too. I was actually glad that Rosalie spilled her drink on me. They seemed like a fun couple that I could become friends with.

Just as I was about to ask if Emmett's brother got lost I saw Rosalie glance over my shoulder and smile and wave. "Here's Edward now," she said to me. I turned around so that I could introduce myself and almost fell out of my seat. It was him, the stranger from the airplane. And he was just as hot as I remembered. As he looked over at me I saw recognition cross his features and then that sexy smirk yet again made an appearance. He definitely recognized me. I looked at him in his dark jeans and button up with that same sex hair and I remembered how completely I had embarrassed myself while sitting next to him on the plane. So much for never seeing him again. Only I would run into a person that I sat next to on a plane in a city as big as Seattle. And while he was hot and I definitely couldn't complain over the completely gorgeous eye candy, I was mortified that I actually had to talk to a guy that I had acted like a complete ditz in front of when I was hoping to not have to relive that humiliation again. I was fucked.

**A/N – There is a link on my profile to the outfits that Bella and Alice are wearing in this chapter. I should probably tell you all now that I am not very creative, so it is a pretty basic set up on Polyvore. However, I am going to be experimenting with my new Polyvore account and try to come up with more creative ways to show you guys what I am picturing my characters to be wearing.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Thank you to everyone that has reviewed and/or put this story on alert! I'm sorry that I haven't replied to all reviews, but I promise to do better :)**

**As of now I am alternating points of view between Bella and Edward. While I will not completely recap Bella's chapter with Edward, I will make sure that any important thoughts that he had from the previous chapter are mentioned in his chapters.**

**This story is unbeta'd, so any and all mistakes are solely mine.**

**Disclaimer – Twilight and the characters belong to SM. I am just borrowing them.**

EPOV

Chapter Four

It was a Saturday night and I had let Rosalie and Emmett talk me into coming to a trendy bar called _New Moon_ with them. I rarely went to places like this, but I didn't feel like sitting at home by myself on a Friday night and it wasn't like I really knew anyone else in Seattle just yet. So I let them take me out for a few drinks.

I had to admit that the place was actually pretty cool. We sat at a table next to the dance floor and just hung out. Emmett knew a lot of the people that were there so we had different people constantly coming by the table and taking shots with us. I was letting loose and having fun. Or at least I would be having fun if my phone wasn't vibrating with an incoming call from Tanya every few minutes.

I was getting really frustrated with how clingy Tanya was being. I knew that part of my frustration was that I wanted to end it with her but couldn't until I was able to fly back to Chicago in a few weeks. It really wasn't her fault that she didn't yet realize that I didn't feel the need to call and check in with her all throughout the day. I had talked to her earlier that day, but kept it very brief, feigning a meeting at the university to get off the phone. When we decided to come out I knew that I had to tell her or she would be doing exactly this and calling every five minutes. I sent her a text saying that I was going out with Emmett and Rosalie and hoped that it would be enough. No such luck. I really needed to hurry back to Chicago so that I could end things for good. Tanya deserved to be dating a guy that actually wanted to be dating her and wasn't trying to avoid her.

After the sixth call I finally had enough. I was going to have to answer if I had any hope of having some fun without her distracting me with phone calls. I excused myself from the table and headed outside so that I could call her back. To say that the phone call didn't go well would be an understatement. She was pissed that I went out with calling and then ignored her calls. I was pissed that I couldn't go out and have fun without having to check in with her like she was my mother. I might have told her at one point that I was a grown man and didn't need her constantly checking up on me. That was not a good thing to say. She yelled a few choice curse words at me and then hung up. I knew that by tomorrow she would be apologizing and trying to make everything better again, but I couldn't bring myself to care. I felt like such a shitty person for acting this way towards her, but I couldn't make myself stop. After I turned my phone off and put it back in my pocket I made the decision to fly out to Chicago the very next day. This needed to be handled sooner rather than later.

As I walked back into the club and made my way to our table I noticed that there was another girl sitting with Emmett and Rosalie. I couldn't much about her, but I did notice that there was a new set of empty shot glasses spread across the table. Apparently Emmett and Rosalie had no problem keeping the party going without me for a few minutes. That thought made me smirk to myself. Emmett definitely never had a problem partying and I knew that Rosalie was his match in many ways, including that one.

As I got to the table Rosalie saw me and nudged the girl that was sitting with her. I heard Rosalie tell her that I was back and the girl turned around to greet me. Once I saw her face I stopped in my tracks. I didn't know how Rosalie had done it, but she found her. She found the girl from the plane. Isabella.

I knew from the expression on Isabella's face that she recognized me. Even in the dark I could see her cheeks reddening with a gorgeous blush that I had already figured out often graced her beautiful face. I smirked at her and walked the last few steps to stand in front of her. I glanced at Rose and saw a mischievous glint in her eye. She knew exactly what she was doing. Only my sister-in-law could find my dream girl this fast and bring her to me.

"Edward, this is Bella. I met her at the bar after accidentally spilling a drink on her. I invited her to come sit with us for a while to make it up to her," Rose said to me as I continued to stare at Isabella. Rose had called her Bella.

"Hello, Bella. Nervous again?" I asked her playfully.

She looked at me confused and her blush deepened. "Nervous? No, no. I'm not at all nervous. Well I didn't expect to see you ever again. But I'm not nervous. Why do you think I'm nervous?"

I sat next to her and couldn't help but lean closer to her and whisper "You're drinking again. I thought we established that you didn't have a problem? I can only assume that it is once again because you are nervous over something."

I wouldn't have thought it possible, but she blushed even deeper at my words as her eyes got wide. "What? No! I just came out to have fun. I don't have a problem. I really don't. Oh goodness, of course you would only see me when I'm drunk and can't keep my mouth shut."

Before I could respond Rosalie smacked my arm. "Quit teasing my new friend, Edward, and tell me how it is that you two seem to know each other," Rose demanded of me.

"I'm sorry," I told Bella. "I was just teasing you. I've learned that you have a delightful blush when you are embarrassed. But I am glad to see you again. I had the pleasure of having Bella here sit next to me on my flight back to Seattle a few days ago," I said to Rose, knowing full well that she knew exactly how I knew Bella.

"Yes," Bella agreed. "I met Edward then, though we didn't exchange names. I might have had a few too many drinks because I was nervous and lost all ability to think before speaking. Edward here doesn't seem to be quite enough of a gentleman to allow me to forget," she said with a slightly teasing tone to her voice.

"Please tell me that you two joined the mile high club!" Emmett chimed in with a waggle of his eyebrows. Of course he would make a completely inappropriate remark like that. I wouldn't expect any less of him.

I thought that Bella would be even more embarrassed by Emmett's comment than she already was, but she wasn't. Instead she was giggling with Rose. "Well unfortunately Edward here didn't recruit me to join that particular club with him," she said with a wink to Emmett. The girl was beautiful and funny. I was liking this playful side of her that I was seeing. It made me wonder just how many other sides there were to this girl.

Pressing my luck I threw my arm around the back of the booth where Bella was sitting and smirked at her. "Well now that I know you wouldn't turn me down, I may have to recruit you the next time I find myself sitting next to you on a plane," I said to her.

She raised an eyebrow at me and replied back "All I said was that you didn't ask. I never said I wouldn't turn you down."

She smiled sweetly at me as she said that and I heard both Rosalie and Emmett start laughing at my expense. "Looks like you're going to have your hands full with this one," Emmett said to me. I couldn't help but think that he was very right.

For the next hour the four of us sat around talking and taking more shots. The longer I was around Bella the greater she seemed. On the plane she had completely intrigued me. It wasn't just the fact that she was beautiful, although it was hard to deny her beauty when she was sitting next to me. But she was intelligent and I realized that I loved seeing her blush. However, being next to her here I realized that she more than just intrigued me. She completely mesmerized me. I had never felt this way about a girl before and I didn't know what to do with my feelings. She was fun and flirty as well as beautiful and intelligent. I wanted to get to know her even better, but at the same time I knew that I had to keep my distance, at least until I was able to completely end things with Tanya. As much as I wanted to be closer to Bella, I would never cheat on someone that I was seeing, even if I knew that the relationship would soon be over. Tanya and Bella both deserved better than that.

The more we drank, the more I knew that I needed to leave before I did something stupid with Bella. I realized that I kept finding little ways to touch her. I would graze her bare arm with my knuckles or tuck a stray piece of hair behind her ear. The touches weren't enough, but I knew that for now they had to be. Not only did I need to end things with Tanya, but I needed to talk to Bella about who I was. Before I could do anything with her I knew that I had to explain that I was actually her new boss. The very same boss that she had professed to despise already. I needed to set things straight with Bella, but it needed to be when we weren't both in the process of getting completely drunk.

Just as I was about to excuse myself and try to get a cab to bring me home, I heard someone shout Bella's name. I turned towards the voice to see a petite girl waving enthusiastically towards Bella while walking towards our table. Walking behind her in a much calmer manner was a taller blonde guy. When the two got close to our table, Bella jumped up and embraced the smaller girl.

"Alice!" Bella exclaimed, taking the girl's hand and bringing her to the table. "I want you to meet my new friends! This is Rosalie, Emmett and Edward. Guys, this is my best friend Alice and her boyfriend Jasper. We came here together but they ditched me to dry hump on the dance floor a couple of hours ago," Bella said with a laugh.

"Hey, we didn't ditch you! Besides, there was nothing stopping you from finding your own guy to dry hump on the dance floor," Alice said. Obviously she didn't get embarrassed nearly as easily as her best friend.

We all talked some more and Bella explained to Alice that I was the guy that she had sat next to on the plane. Apparently she had told her friend about our conversation and Alice squealed something about Bella being right about the "fuck hotness." I wasn't entirely sure what she meant, but Bella once again blushed.

We took a few more shots after that before Bella stood up to go to the bathroom. She took a couple of steps before wobbling and falling into my lap. I instinctively put my arms around her to make sure she didn't topple onto the ground when our eyes locked. I stared into her beautiful brown eyes and came close to just saying fuck it all and claiming her lips. Just as I was about to lean in towards her, she whispered my name. And then she proceeded to pass out in my arms.

**Next chapter Bella will find out just who Edward really is! Stay tuned!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey guys! I have a quick question.. I have seen that some people create Facebook pages to promote their stories and to stay in touch with other fanfic readers/writers. Do any of you do this? I was thinking about creating one because I have a few more story ideas and do plan to write more after this fic is completed. Any comments/suggestions would be appreciated!**

**Now, on with the story!**

**This story is unbeta'd, so any and all mistakes are solely mine.**

**Disclaimer – Twilight and the characters belong to SM. I am just borrowing them.**

BPOV

Chapter Five

I woke up Sunday morning with a pounding headache and no recollection of exactly how I got in my bed. I needed coffee badly, but only after I had brushed my teeth. I truly felt like shit. I threw the covers back and realized that I was still wearing my clothes from last night. Jesus, I had gotten so drunk.

I sat up and noticed that there was a glass of water, two Tylenol, and a note on my nightstand. I downed the water and pills and then picked up the note to read it.

_Bella,_

_ Your friend Alice and I brought you home last night. I know you will probably be feeling bad this morning, so take these Tylenol. I truly hope you remember most of last night. I had a great time with you and I hope to have more opportunities to see you. Have a good rest of your weekend, sweet Bella._

_ Edward_

I felt a huge smile come across my face. All of a sudden my hangover didn't seem so bad. I had seen him again last night, my hottie from the plane. I was beyond shocked when I realized that he was Emmett's brother. When I saw him I thought for sure that he wouldn't want to have anything to do with the crazy chick from the plane. For one horrifying second I was scared that he would think that I had somehow tracked him down and really was crazy. But it didn't take me long to realize that not only did Edward not care that I was there, he actually seemed happy to see me again. We had a great time talking and hanging out with everyone. I still couldn't quite remember how I got from the club to my house, but obviously Edward cared enough to come here with Alice to make sure I got home safely. I really hoped that he meant what he wrote about hoping to seem me more.

After I brushed my teeth, showered and had my first cup of coffee, I grabbed my cell to call Alice. I definitely needed to talk to her about everything that happened last night. When I turned my phone back on, I noticed that I had a text message from a number that I didn't recognize. For just a second my heart started pounding in anticipation. I really hoped that it was from Edward. I opened the text to see that it wasn't from him, but it was from Rose so I couldn't be too disappointed.

**Hi Bella, this is Rose. I wanted to let you know that Emmett and I are having a party at our house next Friday night and you are invited. I hope to see you there! ~R**

That text certainly put a smile on my face. It was enough that Rose had invited me because that meant that we were on our way to being friends. But the icing on the cake was that if Rosalie and Emmett were having a party then Edward would probably be there. In just another week I would see Edward again! Now I really needed to talk to Alice.

"Bella Bop!" Alice exclaimed when she answered my call. "And how are you feeling this morning my dear?"

"Much better than I expected. Alice! Edward brought me home last night! And he left me a note! And he said he wanted to see me again! And Rose invited me to a party at her house which means he will be there! I will see him again in a week!"

Alice laughed and said "Wow, you've really got it bad. I have never seen you act like this before about a guy. You didn't even act this way with Mike and you two were together for 5 years. It's just too bad you passed out last night before Edward had a chance to sex you up!"

I couldn't help but giggle at Alice. "Well first of all, there is absolutely no comparison between Edward and Mike. Sure Mike was pretty good looking, but you saw Edward! I think my panties melted just looking at that sex hair. And Edward is a good guy. I just know it. There's something about him. And as far as sex goes, as much as I know I want it, I don't want to be THAT girl. You know, the one that immediately puts out."

"Bella, it's 2012. It's ok to be THAT girl. I put out for Jasper and we are still together. And I bet if you ask Rose she will tell you that she immediately put out for Emmett. You and Edward are adults. It's ok to have sex!" Alice told me.

I sighed. "I know, Alice, and it's not like I think that there is anything wrong with having sex early. I just don't want him to get what he wants from me and then leave."

"Oh Bella," Alice said. "I know that it isn't like that with Edward. I have a feeling about him. You know that I never thought Mike deserved you or that the two of you belonged together. But it's different with Edward. I just know that he's the one for you. Plus I don't think that he would have gone out of his way to make sure he helped me get you home last night if all he wanted from you was sex."

She was right and I knew it. I told her that I would make a move when I saw him next week at the party. Alice's response, of course, was that we would need to go shopping. I should have known. But I did agree and we made plans to go Thursday night.

I spent the rest of the weekend finishing my syllabi for the semester and making sure that the online components of my classes were ready to go. School was starting this Wednesday and I wanted to be completely prepared before I got there. I loved the first day of a new semester, especially when I knew that everything was ready for me to teach my students to the best of my ability.

Of course I was slightly dreading the start of this semester. We had a faculty get together at six on Monday so that we could officially meet our new department head. Ugh, it was going to be awful. I was going to have to sit there and pretend that I was happy about my new boss when in reality all I could think about him was how he bought himself a job. No, even worse than that. He had his parents buy him a job. I was just glad that it was being held at one of the other professor's house so that there would be a lot of space to walk around and mingle.

Deep down I knew that this probably shouldn't bother me as much as it did. People get jobs all the time because of connections that they have. It doesn't necessarily mean that the person isn't a good worker. I knew that I needed to wait until I met my new boss before I made any assumptions about him. But that was easier said than done. I had worked my ass off to be able to get through my undergrad degree and then through my PhD program. I never had anything handed to me because of who I was or who my parents were. I worked hard for everything that I have and I hated that I would now be working for someone that very likely didn't work hard for his job.

Monday morning I was ready to face my day. I dressed for success in a black pencil skirt and deep red top with matching heels. I left my brown hair down and put on just a little blush and lip gloss. I gave myself one last glance in the mirror and smiled at my reflection. I was ready to go.

My day went smoothly for my first time back on campus since school had let out this past spring semester. We had a few small meetings with various committees that we were required to be on to discuss things such as student writer workshops, honor society fundraisers and different ways to make literature fun for our sophomore lit classes. I enjoyed being back so that I could talk to the other professors and catch up on what had been happening in their lives. I was in my element when I was on campus and discussing academics and teaching.

I was sitting in my office finishing some work before I had to head to meet my new boss when Angela Cheney walked in. Angela was another professor that was close to my age. She and I were good friends and often went out after work to just relieve some stress. Angela was actually the person that had e-mailed me with the gossip about our new department head.

"Bella," Angela said while sitting down in a chair in my office. "Dr. Cullen is freaking hot! Oh man, I almost died when I ran into him in the faculty lounge today. There is no way that a department head should be that good looking. He is going to completely mesmerize our poor students, not to mention have every female faculty member drooling during meetings! You are so lucky to be on the committee that is working with him this semester!"

I couldn't believe it. Not only did he have rich parents that obviously still used their money for him, but he was hot as well. I was really wanting him to be fat and ugly.

"I still can't believe that he got a job here because his parents gave the university money. I don't care how good this man looks, I still wish that we had someone else as a department head," I said in response to Angela.

"I don't know, Bella. I talked to him for a little while and he seems really enthusiastic about this job. I think that he has some good ideas for the department. Maybe he really is a good fit for us and will do a good job as the department head."

Why couldn't I just be more like Angela? She knew how he got the job and she was able to look past that and accept him as her boss. I needed to be able to do that, too. So I made the decision right then to just forget that I knew about how he actually got the job and give him a chance. It was the only way that I would be able to work with him and still do the best job that I could for the university and my students.

With that resolve in mind, Angela and I headed towards Dr. Mitchell's house for the welcoming party. I knew that it would still take me a little while to completely let go of what I knew about Dr. Cullen, but just having made the decision to give him a chance made me feel better. I couldn't be that bitter person that I had been for the last week. That wasn't me and I needed to let it go.

We walked into the party and went to say hello to some of our other colleagues. After having been there for thirty minutes I still hadn't met Dr. Cullen. I had, however, heard a lot about him. Everyone talked about how nice he was and how excited they were to have him at UW. And the women, as well as a couple of the men, mentioned his looks. I apparently was in for a treat when I met this guy. Of course I imagined that I probably wouldn't be as impressed with them, not after having met Edward. There is no way this man would be as attractive as him.

Just as I was thinking of Edward, he was standing in front of me. I blinked at him a few times because I was seriously starting to think that I was hallucinating. It was like I conjured him up out of my thoughts. I had to be losing my mind.

After just staring at him, with an open mouth, for a few seconds I saw that sexy smirk grace his face. "Surprised to see me, sweet Bella?" He asked me.

I'm not sure what came over me, but I threw my arms around him. I don't know if it was the fact that I was so excited that we had reconnected or if I truly was losing it, but I found myself leaning against his hard body with my arms around his neck. Just as I realized exactly what I was doing and was about to pull away to apologize to him yet again for being totally insane, he chuckled in my ear and put his arms around my waist. "I will take that as a good kind of surprised," he whispered to me.

I finally pulled away from him and asked "Edward, what are you doing here? Did you come to find me? How did you know where I would be?"

I saw the smirk fall from his face at my question and his eyes became worried. "Well, that's not quite why I'm here. Don't get me wrong, I am really glad to see you. I've been thinking about you since I dropped you off at your house Saturday night. But I think that we should talk. Can we go outside where it is a little more private?" He asked me nervously.

Just as I was about to take his hand and lead him into the backyard I heard Angela come up beside me.

"Bella, how do you know Dr. Cullen?"

For a minute I couldn't quite process her question. I couldn't immediately figure out why she was asking me about Dr. Cullen when I was standing in front of Edward. I looked from Edward to her and back to Edward before I realized that Edward was staring at me nervously. And then it clicked. Edward was Dr. Cullen. Holy shit, Edward was my boss! I dropped the wine glass that I was holding and did the first thing that I could think of. I slapped Dr. Edward Cullen as hard as I could.

**A/N – As of now I have eleven chapters written. I have no set posting schedule and am updating every few days. Do you guys that here with me reading like that, or would you prefer that I set a schedule and stick with it? Let me know! Thanks :)**

**There is a link to Bella's work outfit on my profile!**


	6. Chapter 6

**This story is unbeta'd, so any and all mistakes are solely mine.**

**Disclaimer – Twilight and the characters belong to SM. I am just borrowing them.**

EPOV

Chapter Six

It was Monday and I was more nervous than I could ever remember being in my entire life. It was my first official day at UW and I was going to have to face Bella. There was a party for the faculty so that I could meet everyone and I knew that she would be there. I had to find a way to talk to her alone beforehand so that I could tell her that I was her boss. I knew it would be a shock to her and that she may not take it too well at first. I was just hoping that if I explained everything to her that she would listen and understand.

On top of the stress over letting Bella know that I was the boss she already hated, I also was stressed over the entire Tanya situation. I had booked a flight to Chicago for the coming Saturday so that I could tell her we were over. It was going to be a really short trip due to the fact that I had to be in Seattle on Friday night for a party at Emmett and Rose's house. I was planning to fly to Chicago Saturday morning, give Tanya the news and fly back on Sunday. It was going to be a quick trip, but it had to be done. The longer I put off telling the Tanya the harder it was going to be. I already felt terribly guilty every time she called. I either had to pretend like things were find and normal or give her some excuse as to why I couldn't talk. No matter what I did I was lying to her and that was not fair to her.

When I got to the university on Monday morning I immediately went to Bella's office. I was hoping to catch her early so that we could talk, but she must have already been in meetings. I wanted to stay and wait for her to get back to her office but I had meetings with the dean of the college that I couldn't miss. I tried throughout the rest of the day to catch her, but I never did. I was really busy getting settled at the university and I didn't have as much time as I really wanted or needed to find Bella and have a talk with her. I knew that I should have called her over the weekend and talked with her, but I had stupidly put it off. Now it didn't look as though I would catch her before the party that night.

By the time I made it to Jack Mitchell's house the party was already in full swing. I was running late due to trying to finalize some of the paperwork that needed to be done for the administration so everyone was already at the party once I arrived. As soon as I walked in I saw Bella. It would have been hard to miss her. She was easily the most beautiful woman at the party and it was as though my eyes were drawn to her. And just then her eyes snapped to mine, as though she could feel me watching her.

I could see the confusion in her eyes when she saw me. She wrinkled her brow and just stared at me as she tried to figure out what I was doing in the same room as her. I couldn't help but smile at her. I finally walked over to her and asked "Surprised to see me, sweet Bella?"

I was shocked when she threw her arms around me and hugged me. I didn't expect this kind of welcome from her, but I definitely was not complaining. It only took me a second to get over my surprise and wrap my arms around her tiny waist. I buried my face in her hair and was immediately met with the soft scent of strawberries. It brought back memories of having her in my arms Saturday night as I carried her out of the club to my car and then from my car into her house. She smelled just as delicious as she looked.

"I will take that as a good kind of surprised," I whispered in her ear. She pulled back and looked at me with a huge grin on her face. "Edward, what are you doing here? Did you come to find me? How did you know where I would be?"

The question immediately reminded me that I had yet to explain who I was to Bella. She obviously had not yet made the connection as to who I was and thought that I was at the party to see her. As much as I had looked forward to seeing her tonight, I had to let her know the real reason that I was there. I suggested that we walk outside so that we could talk, but before we could get outside we were interrupted by another professor who asked Bella how she knew me. Of course she called me Dr. Cullen, which would have been a dead giveaway to Bella.

I saw the question that was on Bella's lips a split second before I saw realization come across her face. Shit, she had figured out exactly who I was before I could talk to her privately. I heard the wine glass that Bella had been holding hit the floor and then she surprised me once again by doing something that I did not expect. She slapped me right across the face.

I deserved that. I truly did. But what neither Bella nor I deserved was the stares we were now getting from half of the faculty that had seen what happened. I knew that if she were thinking straight that she would be beyond embarrassed by the attention that she was now getting. Not to mention the fact that I really didn't want to have to explain anything to the rest of the English faculty and Bella probably would not want to explain either. It was a private matter.

"Bella," I said to her as she stood in front of me shaking with anger. "Let's go outside and talk about this. We need to talk about this because like it or not, we have to work together. And we should probably do so in private because right now we have a really big audience."

She finally remembered where we were and I saw her blush. I knew she would hate the attention. I could tell that it was a struggle for her to keep her temper right then and not lash out at me, but she refrained. I saw her take a few deep breaths and then she finally said "You are right, Edward. Or do you prefer Dr. Cullen? Regardless, let's step outside. There definitely are a few things that we need to discuss."

She marched past me and out the door. I could still see people staring at me, but I just couldn't bring myself to even attempt to speak to any of them or offer any explanations. My mind was focused on Bella. I walked outside and saw her standing next to a car waiting on me. And from the looks of her she was still very, very angry.

"I cannot believe you, you liar!" She yelled at me once I got close to her. "How could you not tell me who you were? Do you know how completely despicable that is?"

"I am truly sorry, Bella. I never meant for any of this to happen. I figured out on the plane that you had to be talking about me, but I didn't know what to say to you. I didn't think that I would see you again until today and that I would have time to prepare myself to talk to you and to explain myself to you. When I saw you sitting with Rose and Emmett Saturday night I knew then that I should come clean. But we were having so much fun and I just wanted a chance to get to you know before you realized that I was the boss you were determined to hate. I thought that maybe if you got to know me, the real me and not the professional me, that we might have a chance to get past what you heard about me and move on. It was a mistake on my part and I regret not telling you. But I don't regret that we spent time together, Bella. I meant what I wrote to you in that note."

"That's no excuse, Edward! You deceived me! I am so embarrassed. Not only did I talk about you to you, not knowing that it was you, but I fell for you! Was that your plan? Did you think that if you made me like you that you could make me forget that I know you don't deserve this job? Did you act nice towards me Saturday night just to make it easier for you when we were working?"

I shook my head and ran my fingers through my hair, tugging at the ends in frustration. "It's not like that! None of what you think about me is true! First of all, I do deserve this job. I know what you think, but it isn't true. And second of all, I didn't use you in any way! I was nice to you on Saturday because I wanted to be. You intrigue me, Isabella Swan."

I knew that she was overwhelmed and just trying to figure out what to say to me, but I hated the uncomfortable silence between us. Time seemed to drag on as we stood there not saying a word, but finally she spoke. "I'm so pissed right now that I don't think I can have a rational conversation with you. But will you answer a few questions for me?"

"Of course, I will answer anything that you want to know."

"Ok, my first question is about your name. Rose told me that her last name is Hale. Did she lie? Did she know who I was that night and just decide to help you out with me? Because your last name is Cullen and Emmett is your brother."

I couldn't help but smile slightly at her question. "No, Rose didn't lie. Her last name is Hale and Emmett's last name is Cullen. Rose was already practicing law by the time her and Emmett tied the knot and she didn't want to change her last name. It is a bit of a sore spot with Emmett, because he really wanted her to change her name. But anyone that knows Rose knows that she always wins over Emmett. I still tease him about it all the time. But Rose wasn't a part of any plan on my part because there was no plan. She does know who you are, but I know she wasn't trying to embarrass you or play some game with you."

"Ok, that makes me feel slightly better. So next question. You had to know after I told you that I was a professor at UW that I was talking about you. Why didn't you just tell me then? Obviously I was going to figure it out once I met you here. No matter what we were going to end up having some version of this conversation."

"I wanted to keep talking to you on the plane," I replied. "I thought that if I told you that you would quit talking to me and I was enjoying myself. I know that is selfish and stupid, but it's the truth."

"Is it true then? Did your parents really donate the money so that you could get the job?" She asked.

"No, it isn't true. Well not really. They did donate a lot of money, but not until after I already had been offered the position. I did actually get the job by my own merit. I have busted my ass for a lot of years so that I could get this type of position. I don't need my parents getting it for me."

We once again stood there in silence as Bella thought about all of the things I had said. At least she was still standing there and hadn't left yet. That gave me some hope.

Finally she spoke again and said "I believe you. But I am still so pissed off, Edward. You made a fool of me. And even if it wasn't intentional, it still happened. And not only did you make a fool of me in front of you, but I embarrassed myself in front of my colleagues. So maybe that is more my fault than yours. I probably should have controlled my temper and not made a scene back there. But if you had told me the truth from the beginning, or even Saturday night, then I wouldn't have."

"I know and I am sorry. I still want to get to know you, Bella. I know it may be a little awkward now, but I want to get past this."

"Please just give me some time to process all of this. And to calm down. We can talk again later, but right now I just can't talk to you. I will be civil and professional to you at school, but that's it. Hopefully by Friday night things will be better and then we can talk some more at Rose and Emmett's party. That is if you are going."

I nodded. "I will be there. And I will give you space until then. Please just try to forgive me, sweet Bella."

She gave me a small smile. It wasn't anywhere close to the ones that she had given me on Saturday, but I would take what I could get.

I watched Bella get in her car and drive off. I was so screwed. That girl had me coming completely undone. Never before had I chased after a girl and never before had I been so hell bent on having a girl want me. And while I would have liked instant forgiveness I knew that it was probably for the best that we would not talk again until Friday night. It was getting harder and harder for me to not just come out and tell her my feelings every time I saw her and I still had to deal with Tanya. I owed all of us that much. But once I got back in Seattle next Sunday I had every intention of going after Isabella Swan. I didn't know exactly how much I wanted from her, but I knew that I needed to have her in my life so that I could figure it out.


	7. Chapter 7

**Here is chapter seven.. it is slightly a filler chapter, but I promise to have the next chapter out within just a couple of days where we will finally get a little action between Bella and Edward!**

BPOV

Chapter Seven

I was livid! I could not believe that Edward was my freaking boss and that he had known and not told me! I really thought that he was a nice guy. I thought that he was different from so many of the other jerks that there were and that maybe we could start something. I couldn't have been more wrong. He was playing me for a fool!

I drove home trying to calm down, but I knew that I was not going to be able to just go home and forget about this. I pulled out my phone and texted Alice.

**Alice, come to my house now! Guy emergency! – B**

I immediately got a response back from Alice saying that she was on her way. I pulled up to my house and walked into the kitchen, straight to freezer. I was so glad that I always kept an emergency stash of chocolate ice cream in there. I hadn't had to resort to it in a few months, but this bombshell that was just dropped on me definitely meant that ice cream was in order. I grabbed it out of the freezer and a spoon from the drawer and sat on my couch. That's where Alice found me five minutes later, crying and stuffing my face with chocolate ice cream.

"Bella! What's wrong? What happened? Who do I need to kill?" Alice asked as she came and put her arms around me.

"It's Edward! He's a liar and I hate him!" I exclaimed as I tried to control my tears. I couldn't even believe that I was crying over that asshole when I barely even knew him. And that just pissed me off even more.

"What did he lie about? And when did you talk to him again?"

I sighed and said "He lied about everything. He knew exactly who I was when we were on that plane. Well maybe not at first, but you know how I told him all about my new horrible boss and all that? Well he's my boss! He figured out that I was talking about him and instead of telling me like a normal person, he just didn't say anything. And then when he saw me on Saturday night, instead of fessing up then, he still didn't say anything!"

Alice was shocked and momentarily speechless, which is not something that happens often with Alice. When she finally found her voice she said "I don't understand. He's your boss? The jerk that bought himself the job?"

I nodded. "Yes and I am so humiliated! Not only did I completely trash talk him to his face, but I embarrassed myself over him as well. We had that party tonight where we were supposed to meet the new department head. Well I was standing there waiting for Dr. Cullen to show up so that I could meet him and then leave when I saw Edward. And I flipped, Alice! I was so excited to see him that I just threw my arms around him like a crazy person. And then I asked him if he was there to see me! I wanted to die from humiliation when I realized that he was Dr. Cullen. And then I slapped him. In front of my coworkers. I am beyond mortified. I don't even know how I'm going to show my face at work tomorrow, let alone for the rest of the semester!"

"Holy shit!" Alice yelled. "You slapped him? That's awesome! He so deserved it! Wow, ok so this is something that even I never expected. However, it is not the end of the world. What did he do after you slapped him?"

"He asked if we could talk in private, so we went outside and talked. He basically said that he didn't tell me because he wanted me to get to know the real him so that I would like him. And he wants to talk some more. He said that he meant it when he wrote that he hoped we could see each other more."

"But what about the job? Did you ask him about the money and how he got the job? And what about Rose? She was so nice the other night and we are supposed to be going to a party at her house. Did she know who you were? Did they plan for everything to happen Saturday night?"

"Yes I did ask about the job. He said that his parents did donate money, but not until after he already had been given the job. He said that he worked really hard for the job and that he deserved it. And he also said that Rose didn't have anything to do with what happened. But she does know who I am."

"Do you believe him?" Alice asked.

I sighed. "I don't know what to believe, Alice. It seemed like he was being sincere about it all. And he was so nice and so intelligent when I met him that I can see him being perfect for the job he got. But I don't know him and obviously he doesn't have a problem lying. And while I don't really want to think that Rose was using me for any reason, she did know who I was. It's just all so confusing. I know that he and I probably need to talk some more but right now I am just too pissed and embarrassed and confused to even know where to begin with him."

Alice picked up my phone and handed it to me. "I completely understand why you don't want to talk to Edward right now. But I think you might feel better if you talk to Rose. She can give you some answers and it might give you some insight into what Edward was possibly thinking."

I knew that she was right. I couldn't hide from this, especially since I was going to have to face Edward the next day. So I called Rose.

Rose answered immediately and before I could say anything she said "Bella, what the hell did my idiot brother-in-law do? He just showed up here and told me and Emmett that you and he got in a fight and that you aren't really speaking to him at the moment. Please tell me what happened?"

"Rose, he lied to me. I have no idea what happened. Can you come over to my house? Alice is here and I just really think that I need to talk to you, too."

Rose immediately agreed and ten minutes after giving her directions she was walking through my front door.

"I brought pizza!" She exclaimed as she walked in the door. Alice and I were both starving, so the three of us grabbed some slices and then went to sit in my living room.

"So spill, Bella. What did the dumbass do?"

I told her everything that happened. I told her about the plane and how I felt Saturday night. I told her about me seeing him at the party and slapping him. I didn't leave out anything. Once I finished I finally asked Rose the question that I had been dying to ask her since she walked through my door. "Did you know, Rose? Was it a set up when you saw me at the club?"

"I did know who you were, but I swear to you that I wasn't trying to set you up for anything. When Edward got back to Seattle he came over and he told us about you. He really liked you. And he did tell us what you said about your boss and that he figured out you were talking about him. I wanted to know your name because I was excited that he finally liked a woman that was smart and had things going for her. So we looked you up on the UW faculty website and I found out your name. That's why you looked familiar to me when I bumped into you. I didn't realize that it was actually you until you told me your name. I would have asked you to come sit with me no matter what, but I can't lie and say I wasn't excited about you seeing Edward again. I was just hoping that you two would really hit it off. I promise that it had nothing to do with lying to you or anything. I really thought that Edward would tell you who he was. I had no idea that he would be a complete ass and let you find out by being introduced to you as your boss. You have to believe me, Bella."

I hugged Rose and said "I do believe you and I'm not mad. It actually makes me feel better to hear that. I had all of these crazy ideas in my head that you and Edward had planned everything together. It makes it a lot easier to handle all of this knowing that. I just wish that Edward had told me, you know?"

She nodded. "He definitely should have handled everything better. And you need to make him sweat it out. Edward needs to work for you, Bella."

"I don't know if I want him to work for it. I really liked him, but he lied. If he would lie about that then what else would he lie about? How can I even think about starting a relationship with a guy when he lied to me almost from the moment he met me?"

"Oh Bella," Alice said to me. "I do understand what you are saying. But it really does seem like he did it because he liked you so much. I wish you could have seen him with you Saturday night when he was bringing you here. He was so sweet with you, wanting to make sure you were ok. I think that you should give him a chance. But like Rose, I also think you should make him work for it. He needs to understand that you deserve the best."

I knew that she and Rose were right. I had fallen hard for Edward. I knew that I would regret it if I completely shut him out. So I would go through the next few days at school being professional to Edward at school, and then Friday night I would let loose. I would have fun with Edward. The serious talk could happen later.


	8. Chapter 8

EPOV

Chapter Eight

I didn't sleep at all Monday night. I couldn't believe just how royally I had fucked up everything with Bella. I should have been upfront with her from the beginning. I should have told her that I knew who she was and that she and I needed to talk. I was such an idiot for putting it off. I don't know why I thought that it would be a good idea to just surprise her at the school.

After I left the party that night I went to see Emmett and Rose. I was hoping that they would have some good advice for me. Unfortunately all they could tell me was what I already knew, which was that I was a complete dumbass. Then not five minutes after I got there Rose got a phone call from Bella and rushed over to her house. It was obviously bad enough that she called my sister-in-law. I was such a jerk.

If all of that wasn't bad enough, I also had to deal with Tanya. I had so much guilt already over how I had handled the Tanya situation. I should have never left Chicago for Seattle without telling her it was over. I didn't want to have to deal with it so I was naïve and hoped that by just leaving the problem would go away. Well it didn't and now I was in a complete mess. I had fallen for Bella, but I was still technically dating Tanya. And even though I knew that I was going to be ending things with Tanya in just a few days, I still felt terrible for making Bella think that I was available when I wasn't quite available yet. Not to mention that I was being beyond unfair to Tanya.

All of this had me up all night worrying about what I needed to do. I finally decided that the best thing for me to do would be just to take it one step at a time. First I had to get through the next few days on campus with Bella. We were on a committee together that was going to meet the very next day and we had to be professional. Once we made it through the week then I had to get through Friday night at the party. I needed to let her know that I wanted her without actually doing anything with her. I couldn't let anything physical happen with Bella until after I talked to Tanya. So I would get through Friday night and then Saturday I would go to Chicago and end things with Tanya so that finally I could start everything over with Bella and make things right with her.

~SoaP~

Tuesday morning I was a bit of a wreck. I arrived at work at eight, hoping to get some of my office organized before my meetings started at ten. I immediately noticed that the faculty members I ran into in the halls were definitely curious about what happened. I saw the strange looks and I knew that if I were anyone but their boss that they would have already asked. However, no one wanted to be the person that asked me and I wasn't about to offer up any information on my personal life to people that I had only known for a day. So I closed myself in my office and had my secretary hold all of my phone calls.

At exactly ten I walked into the conference room where my first meeting was being held. I had been anxiously awaiting this particular moment because I knew that Bella would be in attendance. She was on the committee that had been set up to help me come up with new ideas for the department. I nervously ran my hands through my hair and straightened my tie.

As soon as I walked into the room my eyes landed on Bella. It was like there was no one else around when she was near me. I was drawn to her. I stared into her beautiful brown eyes until I saw a blush come across her cheeks and she looked down at the notebook in front of her. I finally tore my eyes away from her and sat down at the table. Everyone was already there, so I started the meeting.

Throughout the talks of raising enrollment for upper level classes, ways to incorporate more creative writing into our program, and the role of the writing lab, I couldn't keep my eyes away from Bella. She didn't talk a lot throughout the meeting, but when she did contribute it was always worth listening to her. She really was extremely intelligent and I could see her being completely in control of a classroom. Not only was she smart, but she was gorgeous. I was certain that she had dressed for the day just to torment me. She had on a skirt that showed off her shapely legs perfectly and a top that gave me a hint of her cleavage. It was pretty sad that I spent the majority of the meeting fantasizing about how she would look naked, laid across the conference table. I could just imagine her beautiful legs parted with my hand skimming up her thighs as I attacked her lips with my own.

All of a sudden the meeting was over and I couldn't even stand up to leave the room because of a slightly large problem in my pants. Jesus, I had just gotten hard in the middle of a meeting because I couldn't stop thinking about Bella. I needed to get myself under control. I had not even kissed her yet and I was already fantasizing about fucking her on a table. I was in serious need of relief or I knew that I would walk around for the rest of the day with a semi-hard on.

Bella, however, didn't let me escape easily. She waited until everyone else had left the meeting before walking over to me. I had to pretend like I was entering something important into my iPad so that I didn't have to stand up. There was no way that she would miss the reaction that I was having to her presence if I were to stand up in front of her right then. So I just looked up at her and smiled, trying to act like I hadn't just been thinking of her naked for the past hour.

"Edward," she said. "I just wanted to see how you are doing today."

"I'm much better now that I know you are speaking to me again, Bella. How are you? Were you ok last night?"

She nodded and smiled. "I'm doing ok now. I talked to Rose and she explained some things. I'm not mad anymore, Edward."

I grinned at her then and was about to reply when she leaned down so that her mouth was close to my ear. "I can't wait until Friday night," she whispered to me, running her hand across my chest. Before I even had a chance to process what happened, she was out the door and I was left alone. That woman was going to be the death of me. It was time to go to the bathroom and take care of the state that she left me in.

~SoaP~

Wednesday went much like Tuesday. I spent most of the day in my office getting everything together that I needed, while attending meetings with various faculty members. And every time I saw Bella my body would immediately react to her. It didn't help that she would go out of her way to touch me, by either brushing her body against mine when she left a room or running her fingertips across my shoulders. She always made sure that there was no one else around when she would do so, but the sexual tension was driving me insane. I knew it was her way of letting me know that not only was I forgiven, but that she wanted to give a more personal relationship a chance. I knew that Friday night was going to be hell trying not to touch her. But I also knew that the minute my plane landed on Sunday I was going straight to her house so that I could finally taste her lips.

Thursday morning I found myself once again in my office trying to work instead of thinking about Bella when there was a knock at my door. I yelled for whoever it was to come in without even glancing up. I knew it was Bella immediately. My body started to pulse as it only did when she was around. I looked up and saw her closing the door behind her. She was biting her bottom lip, which I had already figured out was a nervous habit of hers.

"Bella, this is a pleasant surprise. What can I help you with?"

"Edward, I know that we need to talk about things, but I was hoping that we could wait until after the party. I thought that tomorrow night we could just have fun together."

I was slightly surprised at her request, mainly because I assumed that she would want to talk as soon as we had a chance. But I wasn't opposed to waiting. It would actually be better, because I would be free of Tanya before Bella and I had a serious discussion.

"Of course, whatever you want," I told her.

I saw her hesitate and I assumed that she was deciding between saying anything else or just leaving. I was surprised when I saw her straighten her shoulders and walk to my desk. She walked around the side of it until she was standing right next to me. Then she grabbed the arms of my chair and swiveled it to where she was standing directly in front of me. I couldn't breathe. She was so close to me and my heart was hammering in my chest. It wasn't until she was leaning down close to me that I finally snapped out of my Bella-induced haze.

"What are you doing sweetheart?" I asked her.

She leaned down until her hands were on my shoulders and her face was just inches from mine.

"I've been wanting to do this since I first saw you on that plane," she said to me and before I had a chance to respond her lips were on mine. Her lips were so soft and she tasted much better than I ever imagined. I grabbed her hips with my hands and groaned at the sensation of finally feeling her like this. Bella opened her mouth and I slipped my tongue against hers. The kiss was soft, sweet and slow and it had me wanting so much more from her. Before I could get too carried away, though, Bella pulled away and looked me in the eyes. I could see the flush across her face and neck and that alone had me wanting to grab her and pull her into my lap so that I could kiss her all day.

"Thanks, Edward," she said before I could do anything. "I will see you tomorrow night." And with that she turned and walked out of my office, closing the door behind her. I sat there staring at the door that she had just walked out of. That girl surprised me more and more every time that I saw her. I knew that I probably had the biggest, goofiest grin on my face, but I didn't care. I had finally kissed Bella.

I left campus not too long after that because there was no way I was going to be able to concentrate on anything else. All I could think about was Bella. I texted Emmett to see if he was free for lunch and luckily he was in between patients. I pulled into a diner close to his practice and found him waiting in a booth for me.

"So bro, why do you look like you just got fucked?" He asked me the minute I sat down. Leave it to my brother to just get straight to the point.

"Because Bella kissed me. And after the sexually frustrating week that I've had, a kiss at this point is almost as good as a fuck."

"Hell yea!" He exclaimed. "I knew she wouldn't be able to resist your Cullen charm. So did you finally decide that flying to Chicago wasn't necessary and just call Tanya to end things?"

Well that definitely ruined my good mood. I had completely forgotten about Tanya. Shit, this wasn't good. The look on my face must have given it away because Emmett said "Damn Edward, you better hope that Bella doesn't find out about Tanya."

I sighed. "She won't. I am supposed to be leaving Saturday and breaking things off. You know that I have been planning this. Even though I know that I technically did cheat on her, I don't feel like I did because I've known for so long that I was going there to end things. I'm going to come back Sunday and talk to Bella. I will tell her that I had dated someone back in Chicago before coming here, but I will just leave out the exact timeline of our break up. We are here in Seattle. There is no way she will find out. I'm not going to let my shit relationship with Tanya screw this up for me."

"I'm not judging you, bro," Emmett said. "I know things are over for you and Tanya and I know how you feel about Bella. Besides, she kissed you, not the other way around. Just be careful. And I will make sure that Rose knows not to mention Tanya to Bella. It should be fine."

I knew that I shouldn't have anything to worry about. The party tomorrow night would have a lot of people at it, so while I'm sure Bella and I would definitely be spending time together, it wouldn't be any alone time where anything could happen. But if I was honest with myself I knew that I didn't want to have to stay away from Bella or not be alone with her. It was no longer a possibility for me. So I made up my mind. I found the next flight to Chicago and booked it, with a return flight for the next afternoon. I was ending things right now and I would be free before that party tomorrow night.

**Well there you have it, Edward has finally figured out that he needs to fix this situation sooner rather than later. **

**I know that I've been alternating POV, but I believe the next one will also be EPOV.. I don't want to keep you guys waiting for the big break up!**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N – I am so sorry for not updating sooner.. to make it up to you guys I will be uploading not one, but two chapters tonight! And then I will try very hard to get back to at least a once a week update schedule**

**Also, I wanted to clear something up because I realized from some of the reviews that I might have confused some people.. Chapter Eight ended on Thursday afternoon. Edward is leaving right then (Thursday) to fly to Chicago. This chapter will be sometime Thursday evening when he gets to Chicago. He will fly back to Seattle on Friday afternoon in enough time to make it to the party at Rose and Emmett's house. If there is any more confusion, please let me know and I will clear it up for you guys!**

EPOV

Chapter Nine

I didn't even bother packing a bag for my short trip to Chicago. I left lunch with Emmett and headed straight for the airport. I had a straight flight to Chicago and I finally landed there around six in the evening. I had texted Tanya before boarding my flight to find out what her plans were and luckily she was planning on staying in that night. So once my plane landed I quickly rented a car and drove straight to her house.

I was very nervous about this break up. Tanya was a bit dramatic and I had no doubt that she would do anything she could to avoid this break up. That was the main reason I was just going to her house instead of asking her to meet me somewhere. Once I said what needed to be said I was planning on leaving. It would be much easier to do that if I could just walk out of her house.

I pulled into her driveway and walked to her front door. I knocked quickly, ready to get this over with. The minute Tanya opened the door and saw that it was me she threw her arms around my neck and started trying to kiss all over my face. I managed to hold her at arm's length as she exclaimed "Oh Eddie! I can't believe you surprised me! I am so happy you are here, I've missed you so much!"

"Tanya," I said as I tried to keep distance between us. "Let's go inside."

She winked at me and grabbed my hand, pulling me inside behind her. "Of course Eddie, we have some lost time to make up for and I wouldn't want to give my neighbors a show!"

Once she closed the door behind her, she again threw her arms around me and tried to kiss me. I had to shut this down and fast. While I once found Tanya extremely attractive, I no longer felt the attraction anymore. The only person I wanted in my arms was Bella.

"Tanya, let's sit down. We need to talk. That's why I'm here."

She pulled away from me and narrowed her eyes at me. But then she broke into a huge grin and said "I know exactly what you want to talk about and I'm ready! I've been waiting for this for so long."

Yea, this wasn't going to be easy. Obviously Tanya had no clue exactly what we were going to be talking about.

Once we sat down and I had some distance between us, I wasn't sure what I should say. In all my time of knowing that I needed to break up with her, I had never actually considered what the best way to go about doing so would be. So I took a deep breath and just spit it out.

"Tanya, we need to break up."

That immediately got her attention. The smile she had been wearing dropped from her face and she just stared at me. Finally she said "Break up? I thought you were here to propose!"

I felt like I had been hit with a bucket of ice water. Propose? Not a chance in hell!

"Tanya, we live in different cities. We are currently living two separate lives. Why would you think that I was here to propose?"

"I thought you were going to ask me to move to Seattle with you! We've been together for a year, Edward. We are so perfect together. You can't do this!"

By this point she was starting to cry and I was starting to feel bad. Not bad enough to stay with her, but I did feel kind of like a douche for leading her on. I hadn't been fair to her and I knew it, but there was really nothing that I could do about it now.

"Tanya, you're a great girl. And I'm sure that one day you will find someone that can appreciate you much better than I can. But we weren't really working even before I left Chicago. Our lives are too different. This is the best thing for both of us."

"You can't leave me! Please don't do this. I will do whatever you want, just don't say this is for real!"

I shook my head. Honestly I couldn't blame her for acting this way. I had just kind of dropped this on her. I had definitely been expecting worse.

"I am truly sorry. It was wrong of me to let you keep believing that there was a chance for us. You deserve better. Let me call someone for you. A friend or one of your sisters."

She shook her head and just sat there for a few minutes not really saying anything. I wasn't really sure what to do, so I finally stood up to leave. I had done what I needed to do and it would be best for me to go now. I told Tanya that I was leaving and she didn't say anything. I walked to the door and just as I was about to open it, she spoke.

"Is it another woman?" She asked.

My hand froze on the doorknob. I had not been expecting that question. I turned around to answer her, to tell her no because I knew that this was something I had been planning to do regardless of Bella, but before I could answer her she spoke again.

"So you've already met some whore in Seattle and you think that the best thing to do is to break up with me? I don't think so, Edward. You can fuck your whore until she is out of your system, but you are still mine. I will forgive you this one indiscretion. There is no need to break up over it."

I stared at her with my mouth hanging open. She seriously thought I was fucking someone behind her back and was willing to keep dating me? She was even crazier than I thought.

"Tanya, you are way off here. There isn't anyone back in Seattle that I'm fucking. That isn't the reason that I am doing this. I'm doing this because we are not going to work out. Period."

She once again narrowed her eyes at me and I saw the hard glare in them. "This isn't over. You can leave here and go back to Seattle, but I'm not giving you up that easily. I will give you some time to think about this and then I will call you so that we can talk."

"I'm not asking your permission. It's over. Don't call me."

I turned around and walked out the door.

I drove to the hotel that I had reserved a room in and once I had checked in I collapsed on the bed. All in all it wasn't the worse break up ever. I mean, she's kind of crazy, but it could have been worse. I was just so glad that it was over with and by this time tomorrow I could kiss Bella all I wanted without feeling any kind of regret.

After laying there for about an hour just thinking about Bella, I finally decided to text her. I felt like a new man now that I was free and I was ready to speed things along with her. She intrigued me.

**I can't wait to see you tomorrow, Bella. – E**

The text made me feel like such a girl, but with Bella I wanted her to know at all times just how I felt. After my royal fuck up at the faculty party, I wanted to be sure that I was always honest with her about everything, including my feelings.

I grinned when just a minute later my phone chimed with an incoming text.

**I can't wait to kiss you again tomorrow ;) ~ B**

I groaned as I started to grow hard at the thought of her kisses.

**I can't wait to kiss you.. everywhere. – E**

**You're bad. And I like it! But I don't sext without a proper first date. Goodnight Edward ~ B**

** Good thing I have every intention of giving you a proper first date. Goodnight sweet Bella. – E**

Sexting with Bella.. that was all the encouragement I needed to plan a first date ASAP! I couldn't wait to get back to Seattle

**A/N - Well there you have it.. Edward is free and ready to rock Bella's world! **

**I wanted to let you guys know that I have created a blog for this story. There are some pictures on there of our wonderful characters (though don't be surprised if a couple of them aren't the actual actors in the movies.. I have my own version of Bella!), and I will be posting teasers for upcoming chapters as well as links to Polyvore to show the outfits that our characters are wearing in some of the chapters. This is my first ever attempt at blogging, so I'm sorry for any mistakes that are made! **

**The link is on my profile!**

**Chapter Ten will be up in just a few :)**


	10. Chapter 10

BPOV

Chapter Nine

Holy shit, I had kissed Edward! I couldn't believe that I actually did it. All week I had been flirting with him and making sure that he was extremely aware of me. Even though I wasn't ready yet to have the talk with him that I knew we needed to have, I did want him to know that I was willing to forgive what happened and move on with him. My casual touches and flirting with him was my way of showing him that. And I was pretty sure that he was more than happy to have me close to him, if the bulge in his pants that I had seen more than once when I was around was any indication. I had to admit that it boosted my self-esteem quite a bit to know that I had that effect on him. Of course, he had a similar effect on me. More than once I found myself day dreaming about his gorgeous green eyes and just-fucked hair. The meetings that we had together often consisted of me barely listening to anything that was being said because I was too busy wondering just how wonderful that messy hair would look if his head was buried between my legs. I really needed to stop my fantasizing or I was never going to get any work done.

Edward's texts to me Thursday night made me feel like a teenage girl with my first crush again. I have to admit that I did a little happy dance around my house when I first saw that he texted me. I couldn't keep the smile off of my face. Of course the mention of him kissing me everywhere immediately had my body tingling. God how I wanted him to do that so badly. But I didn't want him to think that I was too easy, so I ended the conversation before he could convince me just how much fun sexting would have been.

I got home from work about noon on Friday and made myself a quick lunch. I had a few errands to run before the party that night, and I also needed to give myself a couple of hours to get dressed. Alice, Rose and I had gone shopping earlier in the week and I picked out what I thought was the perfect outfit for the party. I bought a new pair of white skinny jeans and a light pink sleeveless silk shirt. I was going to wear a pair of silver ballet flats that I already had. It was fun and flirty, which was exactly how I wanted to come across to Edward.

Alice had picked out a very cute outfit for herself. She bought a sundress and a pair of brown cowboy boots. I have no idea why Alice wanted cowboy boots in Seattle, when I am pretty sure she has never been near a horse in her life, but the outfit was adorable and totally Alice. The little pixie had a great way of pairing clothes together, which was why she was the fashion designer and not me. Rose came with us and helped us pick out our outfits. She didn't buy anything because she said that she already bought something the weekend before. Knowing how gorgeous Rosalie was and how impeccably dressed she always was, I was sure that it would be a fantastic outfit.

I finished all of my errands and straightened up around my house before I started to get ready. At seven o'clock I was finishing my hair. Rose said that the party would be held in their backyard, and it was pretty hot outside for Seattle. I decided to pull my hair back in a low ponytail and curl the ends. It was fun and pretty, but it would be cooler than leaving my hair down. Just as I was fastening a pair of small silver earrings in my ears, there was a knock on my door and then Alice popped her head in.

"Bella! Are you ready? We are already late!"

I ran to the front door giggling. Alice may have other people fooled, but not me. She never showed up on time to anything! She said that if it wasn't socially acceptable to be late then it wouldn't be termed "fashionably late."

Rose and Emmett's house was absolutely gorgeous! It was in a new neighborhood right outside of Seattle, but the lots were huge so there was plenty of space in their backyard for a party. The two story house was perfect on the inside and outside. Rose certainly knew how to decorate, and the backyard area was wonderful. There was a huge deck with couches and a tv and huge grill that I couldn't imagine trying to work.

There were already quite a few people there by the time we showed up. However I didn't see Edward. I was slightly disappointed by this because I was really anxious to see him. I only had a minute to be disappointed before Rose walked over to where I was standing and gave me a hug.

"Rose, you look fantastic! That dress looks great on you," I told her and she beamed. She was wearing a royal blue one sleeve dress and gorgeous black heels. She really did look amazing.

"Bella, I'm so glad you guys made it! Alice is talking to some people that shop in her boutique and Jasper is over with Emmett. Do you want to come meet Emmett's parents?"

Meet Emmett's parents? I wasn't so sure about that since they were also Edward's parents. After everything that had happened with us I wasn't sure how he would feel about me meeting his parents when he wasn't around.

Rose saw my hesitation and immediately knew what the problem was. Bless her, she seemed to just get me and then to know the exact right thing to say to make me feel better.

"It's ok, Bella. This is a party that I am hosting. It is perfectly normal for you to meet my in-laws that are also guests. Quit over-thinking this. Edward will be here in about thirty minutes and he isn't going to care that you are meeting his parents. Besides, all I'm going to do is introduce you as my new friend. They don't even know that anything may potentially happen with you and Edward."

"It already happened, Rose," I said before I could stop myself.

"What?" She exclaimed, loudly. Thankfully she noticed that she had drawn the attention of the people around us and lowered her voice. "What do you mean that something already happened? I just talked to you yesterday!"

"I know, it happened yesterday after I talked to you. You know how I told you that I have been flirting with him all week? Well I kissed him. He was in his office and I went in there and he just looked so damn good and I couldn't stop myself. So I walked over to his desk, leaned over, and kissed him. And then I left," I told her.

She stared at me and then broke into a huge grin. "Well I must say that I am thoroughly impressed. I didn't think you had it in you. And you left without giving him a chance to say anything? That's perfect! He has probably been thinking about it non-stop. And now here you are looking beautiful. You are definitely going to have him eating out of the palm of your hand!"

I laughed and shook my head. "I wouldn't go that far. But I am anxious for him to get here so that I can see how he acts around me. I really want to just have fun with him, like we did last weekend. Only it will be different now because there won't be a huge secret between us."

As we were talking a very attractive couple came and stood next to us. The woman had the most beautiful shade of caramel colored hair that I had ever seen. And the man was extremely handsome with blonde hair and blue eyes.

"Esme!" Rose exclaimed. "I want to introduce you to my friend, Bella. Bella, these are my in-laws, Carlisle and Esme Cullen."

"You are Edward's parents?" I asked. "But you are so young!"

I immediately slapped my hand over my mouth after that little outburst. Apparently I truly didn't have a filter when it came to any member of the Cullen family.

Just as I was about to apologize profusely for my terrible manners, I heard a familiar laugh from beside me right before an arm wrapped around my waist. I felt a jolt of electricity at the touch and new without looking that it was Edward.

"So I see that you guys have met Bella," he said to his parents. Before they could even answer I was apologizing.

"I am so sorry for that comment! I meant no offense. You just don't seem old enough to have a child Edward's age. Not that he is old or anything. Or that you are old. You just look young. And I'm rambling again. Ok, shutting up now."

I knew that my face was probably flaming red. Why was it that I continuously embarrassed myself in front of Edward and his family? I could see Rosalie trying not to laugh and Esme and Carlisle were smiling at me.

Esme stepped forward and hugged me. "Bella, it is so wonderful to meet you! And you have no need to apologize. It was quite the compliment. Don't you think, Carlisle?" She asked her husband.

He nodded with a smile on his face and shook my hand. "I'm sure that Esme will be glowing over that comment for quite some time. She has been having a hard time dealing with the fact that her baby boy here will be thirty next year. You probably just made her year. And it is a pleasure to meet you, Bella."

Esme and Carlisle were so nice. Rose told them about meeting me at the bar and then Edward told them about the plane and our jobs, though he did conveniently leave out there part where he didn't tell me who he was. That was ok though. It wasn't something that needed to be discussed with other people before we could even discuss it ourselves.

Edward kept his arm around me the entire time we were standing there and it was obvious that both Carlisle and Esme noticed. After a few minutes Edward said that he was going in to get a drink and offered to bring me one as well. Before walking away I felt him lean down and briefly kiss the top of my head. It made my heart melt and I was sure that I had to have the goofiest grin on my face.

Carlisle walked into the house with Edward and Esme turned to me. "Bella, I had no idea that Edward was seeing someone here in Seattle! How long have you two been together?"

I wasn't exactly sure what to say to her. I didn't know that Edward and I were technically seeing each other at this point or what he would want to tell his mom about me. Luckily Rose saved me from having to answer.

"Esme, I think that it is pretty new with Edward and Bella. I'm not sure that they even know what is going on with them. Right, Bella?"

I smiled at her gratefully and nodded. "Yes, it is very new. We are still getting to know one another."

Edward came back then and handed me my drink. "What are you ladies talking about?" He asked.

"Oh just girl talk, sweetheart," Esme answered. "I have been meaning to ask you though, Edward, if you finished up all of your business in Chicago? I am guessing that you did since you seem very settled here in Seattle."

I felt Edward tense up beside me and I turned to look at him. I had no idea what business Esme was referring to, but Edward didn't look very happy to be talking about it. He took a sip of his drink and then nodded. "Yes, everything in Chicago has been taken care of" he responded.

Esme smiled. "I'm glad, Edward. And I am especially glad to see that you are settling in nicely here in Seattle. It's been so great having you here so close to us!"

"I think that I'm really going to like Seattle, mom," he said to Esme, but he was looking down at me with that sexy smirk on his face. I looked up at him and smiled at how handsome he looked. Staring at him right then, I knew that there was nothing that I wouldn't do for this man. I was falling for him hard. And I was hoping that the way his beautiful green eyes lit up when he smiled at me was an indication that he was feeling the same way.

**A/N - So Bella has met the parents and our couple seems smitten with one another.. next up will be some alone time with Bella and Edward!**

**A link to the outfits that Bella, Alice, and Rose are wearing as well as a picture of Rose and Emmett's house is on my blog. **

**The link is on my profile!**


	11. Chapter 11

EPOV

Chapter Ten

I couldn't keep my hands off of Bella. She looked so beautiful and I was drawn to her. No matter how much I kept telling myself to put some distance between us I just couldn't do it. I had to be near her, touching her. Even if it was just having my arm around her waist or my hands playing with her beautiful brown hair.

I couldn't believe that my mom brought up what I needed to do in Chicago in front of Bella. I could tell that she really liked Bella and was just trying to make sure that I was doing the right thing by both women, but I really didn't want for Bella to get suspicious. I had finally done what should have been done a long time ago and didn't want to have to explain to Bella just yet about Tanya. We had so many other things to talk about first.

I was standing with my dad and Emmett drinking beer and watching the grill. Alice had come over earlier and pulled Bella away so that they could have some girl talk, but I could still see her. I couldn't take my eyes off of her. She was laughing and having a good time and just looked so damn happy. I was really hoping that part of the reason she looked so happy was because of me. And that I would be able to keep her that happy for a long time.

I must have completely zoned out in my thoughts because Emmett slapped me in the back of my head to get my attention.

"What the hell?" I asked, rubbing my head.

"We've been trying to get your attention for the past five minutes," Emmett replied. "You've got it so bad for that girl. Thank goodness this one's actually a cool chick."

"Edward, you know that your mother isn't very happy with your right now, don't you?" My dad asked. "She says that she raised you better than to be dating two girls at once."

I sighed. "It's not like that, Dad. I'm not technically dating Bella yet. We have plans to talk soon about what we both want. But there is definitely an attraction. There's just this pull between the two of us. I can't stay away from her any longer. That's why I flew to Chicago last night and ended things with Tanya. It's over between us."

"It's very obvious that you and Bella have some kind of connection. She seems like a great girl. I know that both your mother and I are both happy that you found someone like her. I just hope that none of this blows up in your face."

"No one is going to tell Bella about Tanya, Dad," Emmett said, coming to my defense. "The only people that know are us, and Rose and I know that we are all rooting for Bella. None of us are going to ruin this for them. Bella's great. I mean hell, she has to be for Rose to like her. We all know my Rosie rarely likes other females."

Dad and I laughed because that was definitely true. Rose didn't have very many good female friends. I was really glad to see that she and Bella were becoming close. It would make things easier in the future if things get really serious between myself and Bella. And even though it still seems a bit early to be thinking along those lines, I could admit to myself at least that I was really hoping to have a future with Bella.

Jasper, Alice's boyfriend, joined us a few minutes later and we stood around for a while just talking and catching up. Jasper was a cool guy and I was glad. I knew that with Alice being Bella's best friend that we would be hanging out with them quite a bit.

I was trying not to stare at Bella, but I noticed her leave the group of girls and make her way into the house. And even though I knew it probably wasn't a great idea to be alone with her since I couldn't keep my hands to myself even in front of people, I excused myself and went inside to find her. She wasn't in the kitchen or living room so I walked down the main hallway to see if she was in one of the main rooms back there. Right as I was about to head upstairs to look for her I saw her come out of one of the guest rooms.

"Edward," she said with a smile on her face. "What are you doing in here? I just came to plug in my phone before it died."

"I saw you come in here and came to find you. You look so beautiful tonight that is getting hard for me to be away from you."

I couldn't resist her. I had to taste her again. So I stepped closer to her and brought both of my hands to her face. I heard her breathing hitch and knew that she was excited. I could see it in her eyes.

I leaned down and touched my lips to hers. She tasted amazing and I had to stop the groan that was threatening to escape my lips. Bella raised her arms to my head and wrapped them around my neck. I felt her hands in my hair and her tongue started to trace my bottom lip. It was my undoing. I wrapped both of my arms around her body and brought her flush against me. I opened my mouth to her and my tongue found hers and the kiss quickly went from soft and sweet to hard and passionate.

Her hands were pulling at my hair, pulling me closer to her, and she was making the sexiest sound moaning into my mouth. My body was reacting to her and I knew she could feel how hard she was making me since our bodies were so close. I thrust my hips against hers and she threw her head back and moaned. I took that opportunity to place hot wet kisses down her neck. My hands slid down her back to her ass and I lifted her. She wrapped her legs around my waist and brought her mouth back to mine. I was close to coming undone with her pressed against me the way that she was. She rubbed against my hard dick and I almost lost it. I pulled back from her and rested my forehead against hers.

"I want you so badly, baby," I said to her. Her eyes were unfocused and she was breathing heavily. She looked gorgeous. Her cheeks were flushed and her lips were red and swollen. I could see the lust in her brown eyes and I knew that I wasn't the only one that was affected by what had just happened.

Just then I heard someone clear their throat behind me. I turned my head to see who it was and saw Alice standing in the hall with a huge grin on her face.

"Well it looks like you two have made up properly. Care to join the rest of us now?"

Bella unwrapped her legs from around my waist and I set her back on the floor. She looked up at me and smiled and said "I'm going to go freshen up. I will meet you back outside."

I nodded and she and Alice walked into one of the guest bathrooms together, but not before Alice turned around and winked at me. I just shook my head. As much as I hated that she had interrupted us, I knew that it was probably a good thing. I had completely forgotten that we were in a hallway in my brother's house.

I walked outside and found my parents and Rose talking. Emmett and Jasper were talking to some people that Emmett worked with, so I walked over to my parents. Rose was smirking at me and said "Get lost in the house, Edward?"

Before I could answer my mom asked me where Bella was. I told her that she and Alice were inside and should be out shortly. I then tried really hard to pay attention to the conversation that they started around me, but all I could think about was Bella and how great it felt to have been kissing her. I couldn't wait to do more with her.

Bella and Alice walked out of the house then and over to where we were standing. Bella came and stood next to me and I wrapped my arm around her waist. She and Rose chatted about a new book that they had both started reading and I told my mom and dad about my week at the school. The next thing I knew it was quite a few hours later and Bella was getting handsy with me, not that I minded.

Almost everyone had gone home. It was just Alice and Jasper and me and Bella still here talking to Rose and Emmett. We were sitting around a fire pit outside, drinking beer and laughing our asses off at the stories that were being told. Bella was sitting in my lap, which in itself was spectacular. But then she started to squirm in my lap. I was already in a perpetual state of semi-hardness just from having her so close. Her squirming just made in more permanent.

"Bella," I whispered to her. "Baby, you need to stop moving. You're making things really.. umm.. _hard_ for me right now."

She giggled and leaned down closer to me. "That was the point, Edward. I want things to be _hard_ right now."

Bella had no idea what her words did to me. It was taking all I had right then not to lift throw her over my shoulder and haul her up to the first bedroom that I saw. I wanted her like I had never wanted anyone else and she wasn't even trying to back down from what I wanted.

"Take me home. I want to finish what we started in the hallway," she said to me before gently biting down on my earlobe. That was all it took. In a flash I was standing with Bella in my arms. Everyone stopped talking and just stared at me.

"Uhh, Bella's had a lot to drink. I'm going to take her home."

Bella giggled against my shirt, no doubt at my lousy excuse for my sudden behavior. From the looks on everyone else's faces it was obvious that I wasn't fooling anyone. Before anyone could say anything, I walked with Bella out the backyard and to my car. I placed her in the passenger seat and buckled her seatbelt. Then before shutting the door, I leaned close to her and looked her in the eyes.

"Oh sweet Bella, you have no idea what you just started back there. When I get you home I'm going to make you cum. And I'm going to start with my tongue."

**A/N – Oh, our Edward and Bella are going to finally have some fun! Sorry for the little cliffhanger, but I promise to have the next chapter to you very soon! **


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N – Thank you everyone for the reviews! I have over 100.. that may not seem like a lot to some, but it is a HUGE deal to me! **

**This fic is rated M for language and lemons.. we've had the language, now here are the lemons!**

BPOV

Chapter Twelve

_"Oh sweet Bella, you have no idea what you just started back there. When I get you home I'm going to make you cum. And I'm going to start with my tongue."_

Those words played repeatedly through my head as Edward drove me to my house. The things that man did to me with his words alone. My body was aching for him and the promise that he made. I needed him, badly.

We were about halfway to my house when I decided to repay him the favor. I leaned as close to Edward as I could while in the car and ran my hand along his thigh. I trailed kisses up his neck until I reached his ear where I whispered "You can make me cum with your tongue, but only if I can return the favor." I then gently bit down on his ear.

I heard him moan and I saw his grip tighten on the steering wheel. I moved the hand that was currently on his thigh slowly up. I could see even in the car that he was hard. The jeans that he was wearing did little to hide just how hard he was. And I really wanted to feel him. I brought my hand over his hardness and gently squeezed.

Before I knew what was happening Edward had pulled over on the side of the road and grabbed my hands. He kissed me long and hard, but wouldn't allow me to touch him. When he finally broke the kiss, he looked at me with lust-filled eyes.

"Baby, if you don't want me to take you right here in this car on the side of the road where anyone could see us, then I suggest you keep your hands to yourself. You're too sexy for your own good and I have plans for you that involve a lot more than just a quickie in a car. Now, be a good girl and let me get you home so that I can make good on my promise."

I nodded my head at him because at the moment I don't think that I was capable of speech. I desperately wanted to feel him, but the promise of more to come at my house was enough to keep my hands to myself. But I did notice that he broke every speed limit to get us home.

The minute he parked he was out the door and walking around to open mine. Before I could get out he had grabbed me, wrapped my legs around his waist, and had my back against the front door.

"Where are your house keys, Bella?"

I tried pulling them out of my purse, but I was shaking too badly from wanting him. He grabbed my purse, found my keys and opened the door. Shutting the door behind him, he walked straight to my bedroom where he laid me down on my bed. Then he stood up and pulled the shirt he was wearing over his head. I had my first look at Edward's chest and it wasn't disappointing. Edward had a lean, well-toned body that made my fingers tingle in anticipation of touching it.

Before I could touch him, he was at my feet taking over my shoes. Then he was unzipping my pants and pulling them down my body. His fingers ghosted over my wet center and I couldn't help but let out a moan. I needed him.

I sat up and he pulled my shirt off. I was left in front of him in just my bra and panties. I saw his eyes roam over my body as he licked his lips. I brought my hands to the button of his jeans, but he grabbed them before I could undo the button.

"Bella, I want you to lay back. I want to taste you."

I lay back down on my bed and he kissed me. I felt him take my bra off, and then he trailed kisses down my neck. When he got to my chest, he stopped and just looked down at me. I felt one of his hands on my breast while the other wrapped itself in my hair. Then he bent down and nibbled on my breast before flicking his tongue across my nipple.

I couldn't help the whimper that left my mouth. I was dripping wet and I wanted him and he was doing things to my body that were driving me insane. He continued to kiss my breasts, going from one to the other, before he started to kiss down my stomach. When he reached my panties, he brought both hands to them and hooked his thumbs in them before slowly sliding them down my legs. His nose grazed across my clit as he lowered them and I couldn't help but buck my hips towards his face. I saw the smirk that I loved come across his face before he threw my panties behind him and settled between my legs.

He looked up at me with those green eyes and his hair all messed up from my hands and I almost came right there. And before I could fully prepare myself, he completely buried his head between my legs. I felt his tongue lick me before finally settling on my clit. He pushed one finger into me and I screamed out his name. My hands flew to his head and I grabbed his hair, holding him to me. There was no way I was letting him stop now. I was so close.

But he definitely wasn't stopping. He pushed another finger into me, and I lost it. I came harder than I ever had before. It felt amazing. Edward's tongue was amazing. I felt my body go limp and he started to kiss his way back up to me. Somewhere along the way he lost his jeans and boxers and I could feel his hard length against my hip. Edward was packing!

"You taste even better than I imagine, Bella," Edward whispered. "Taste yourself."

Before I could stop him I felt his lips on mine, but I didn't care. I'd never let a guy kiss me after going down on me, but this was Edward. There was no way that I was going to deny him a kiss. I opened my mouth to him and he slipped his tongue into my mouth. And I moaned at the taste. It was a mixture of me and Edward and it tasted amazing. I sucked on his tongue and I felt him jerk his hips into mine.

"Edward, please, don't make me wait any longer. I want you."

That was all the encouragement that he needed. He slowly pushed into me, allowing me to get used to his size. Edward was much bigger than I was used to, but he felt so good.

Once he was fully inside of me, he stilled, his eyes squeezed shut and said, "Baby, I had no idea you would feel this good. God damn." Then he began to move in and out of me. It was the best feeling in the world.

"Edward! Oh god, Edward, faster please. Fuck!"

He sped up at my request, placing kisses across my throat and collarbone as he pounded in and out of me. "Fuck you feel good, Bella. You're so tight. Are you close, baby? I need you to come for me again."

I nodded at his words because I could once again feel my orgasm building. And his talking to me only intensified it. I knew he was close, too, because his thrusts became slightly erratic and his words turned into incoherent mumbles.

Just as I was about to lose it, I felt him bring his hand between our bodies and stroke my clit. And that was all it took before I fell over the edge once again, screaming his name as I did. My orgasm triggered his and he came with a loud shout. Then he laid his head on my chest. His weight on me felt wonderful and I didn't want to move.

I have no idea how long we laid there before I felt him slowly slide out of me. I whimpered at the loss, but he immediately came to lie beside, wrapping his arms around my body. I felt him bury his face in my hair and inhale. Then he let out a shaky breath and said, "Bella, that was amazing."

I nodded sleepily, barely able to keep my eyes open. I felt him softly kiss my temple before pulling me as close to him as possible. The last thing I heard before tumbling into sleep was his sweet words in my ear. "Sleep, sweet Bella. I will be here when you wake up."


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N - There will be no accidental babies in this fic. I realized from a review that Edward and Bella didn't have the birth control talk and there was no mention of condoms. In RL that isn't good, but since this is fiction let's just pretend that they did have the talk and are definitely being safe!**

EPOV

Chapter Thirteen

I was having a wonderful dream of Bella.. her hot little mouth was wrapped around my cock and her tongue was flicking across the tip. It felt so good that I didn't want to wake up, but something was pulling me from my sleep. It was then that I realized it wasn't a dream.. Bella was between legs and her mouth was really on me. I saw her eyes look up at me once she realized I was awake and she smiled before continuing her sucking. My hands wrapped in her hair and I let out a long moan.

"Fuck, Bella, please don't stop."

She hummed around me and the sensation caused me to become even harder than I already was. I was lost in the sensation of her mouth around me. I really wanted to make her feel good, too, but I was too far gone to do anything more than let her continue. It didn't take me long to feel my balls tightening and I knew I was close.

"Bella, I'm about to cum," I told her so that she could move if she wanted to. Lucky for me though, she had no intention of moving her mouth away from me and I came deep down her throat, shouting her name out loud. She kissed her way back up my body as I calmed down from the intense orgasm that she had just given me.

"Baby, you are amazing. That was a great way to wake up," I told her.

She smiled and said "I hope so. I woke up and realized that I promised to make you cum with my tongue last night, but I ended up being a little too preoccupied to make good on that promise. So I did it today instead."

I smiled at her and kissed her forehead. We lay in bed for a little while longer just enjoying each other's company before she asked if I wanted breakfast. I was a man and there was no way that I was turning down an offer for a home cooked breakfast.

After I agreed to eat with her, Bella got out of bed and slipped into my button up that I had been wearing before heading to the kitchen. I just stared after her, once again amazed at how incredibly sexy she was, especially wearing nothing but my shirt. Since it left me without a shirt, I just pulled on my jeans and followed her to the kitchen.

Breakfast was great and it was a pleasant surprise to see that there wasn't any morning after awkwardness between us. We chatted about inconsequential things while eating and then I helped her clean up. I wanted to suggest us going out together that night, but I knew that we really needed to talk first.

Apparently Bella had the same idea because as soon as breakfast was over, she went and sat on her couch and asked me to join her. One thing I really liked about Bella was that she always got straight to the point.

"Edward, I know that after what happened last night it's pretty obvious that I'm definitely not still mad at you. But I still think that we should talk about everything. Just to make sure we are both on the same page."

I nodded and ran my fingers through my hair. It was a relief to know that Bella wasn't mad, but I still felt bad over everything that happened. I had made so many mistakes with Bella in such a short period of time and I wanted to be sure that I finally got things right with her.

"Just tell me why you lied, Edward. I know that you deserve this job. I've worked with you too much this past week not to know how smart you are. I think you're brilliant. But I hate that you felt like you had to lie to me. I mean I did basically say you were a privileged jerk to your face, and I'm so sorry about that. Ugh, this whole situation is just such a mess!"

I grabbed one of Bella's hands and brought it to my mouth to place a light kiss on her knuckles. It made me feel better to be touching her and I was fairly certain it made her feel better, too, since she immediately relaxed at my touch.

"When I first saw you on that plane I thought you were so beautiful. And then I realized that you were just as intelligent as you were gorgeous. It amazed me. You amazed me, Bella. I had never felt such an immediate attraction to a person before. It took all I had not to immediately ask you out. I really wanted to do just that. But then you started talking about your boss and it didn't take long for me to realize that not only were you talking about me unknowingly, but that you weren't exactly fond of me. It was like I had just had something perfect handed to me and then told that I couldn't have it. I didn't think that there was any way that you would want me."

She smiled at me and quickly brushed her lips across mine. "Silly man, how could anyone not want you once they get to know you?" She asked. "But regardless of that, what did you think was going to happen when I saw you at the university?"

This was the part that was hard for me to explain because honestly I wasn't exactly sure myself. "I was confused, Bella. Like I said before, I'd never had such an immediate attraction to someone like I did with you. And it kind of scared me. I think that part of me was hoping that you would forget about me and not even realize who I was when you met me again. Of course, I knew that would be too good to be true and I would have to come up with something to tell you. But I hadn't gotten that far in my thoughts before I saw you again at the club with Rose. I really fucked it all up that night," I told her.

"That night I had so much fun with you. I found out then that not only were you smart and beautiful, but you were fun and easy to be around. Even Rosalie liked you. It was like you were the perfect woman and I had already lied to you. I didn't know then how to make it right. So instead of trying, I just ignored the lie and hoped that you would forgive me."

Bella laughed then and said "Edward, if you know anything about women then you had to know that surprising me in front of a room full of people was not a good idea."

I looked down sheepishly and shrugged. "What can I say? I'm an idiot. I think that was one of the dumbest things that I've ever done in my life. I don't blame you one bit for slapping me. Honestly, I can't believe you even let me try and explain that night. I really have no excuses. I just want you to know that what we have here is special to me. I really like you, Bella. I want to see what happens between us."

Bella didn't say anything. Instead she straddled my lap and began to kiss me. I felt her hands in my hair, tugging at it, and I immediately wrapped my arms around her, pressing her closer to me. Nothing in this world tasted as good as Bella did. She was absolutely intoxicating.

Bella shifted her hips so that she was pressing down on my erection and I grabbed her hair, slightly pulling it so that her neck was exposed to me. I trailed kisses across her neck before gently biting down. I knew it was possessive, but I wanted to mark her. I wanted everyone to know that she was mine. And from the sounds coming from Bella, I don't think that she minded.

I kept one hand in her hair and slid the other up her thighs and under my shirt that she was wearing, where I was met with her hot, wet center. Fuck me, she wasn't wearing any underwear. She brought her hands down to my jeans and quickly undid them. She lifted slightly so that I could pull them down and then she sank onto my hard dick.

"Fuck, Bella, I will never get used to how amazing you feel," I told her as I continued to place kisses all over her exposed neck and chest.

This was going to be fast, but I could already tell that she was close. She pulled my head up so that she was looking me in the eyes as she continued to ride me. This woman was fast becoming something very important to me and I don't think she had any clue just what she meant to me. I lifted my head and captured her lips with my own, trying to relay my emotions to her through the kiss. It wasn't long before I felt her walls tighten around my dick and then she was cumming. I slammed up into her and immediately followed her with my own orgasm.

Bella went limp on top of me with her head on my shoulder. She was kissing my shoulder and neck lightly as I rubbed circles on her back. I was happy, possibly the happiest that I had ever been. There was no way that I was letting Bella Swan out of my life.


	14. Chapter 14

**Thank you to everyone for the wonderful reviews of this story! I appreciate all reviews, even the ones with constructive criticism. This story has been my very first attempt at fanfiction and all feedback has been greatly appreciated and something that I know I will keep in mind when I write my next full length fic. **

**This chapter has some long awaited drama that has needed to be hashed out, but I promise it won't be drawn out for long. The fic will be complete in about three more chapters after this and there will definitely be a HEA :)**

BPOV

Chapter Fourteen

After another round of mind-blowing sex with Edward in the shower, he told me that he needed to head home to do some work. I was a little upset because I really enjoyed being around him, but I also knew that this entire relationship that we had was new and we both needed time away from each other to absorb everything that had happened. It helped that he kissed me sweetly on the cheek and promised to call me later that night and then take me to lunch the next day.

I texted both Rose and Alice to let them know that Edward and I had worked things out and that I would call them both tomorrow morning before my lunch date. Both of them were happy for me and told me that they wanted all of the sexy details. I had to laugh at my two friends and their nosiness. Of course I would tell them, though. Edward was way too amazing for me not to brag about!

I decided to clean my house to keep myself from just lying around and day dreaming about Edward. I could have spent all day just remembering the things that he had done to my body, but I really needed to at least try and be productive. As I was trying to clean my kitchen, I kept hearing a beeping in the living room. It was driving me insane. I finally lifted all the couch cushions and found an iPhone. It must have fallen out of Edward's pants at some point today. I decided that I would get dressed and then call Rose and ask for his address. I could bring him his phone and get to see him again, which would be a win/win for me!

The phone beeped again as I held it in my hand, and I saw that he had a new text message from "Tanya." I clicked on the screen, and realized that it wasn't password protected. And Edward had 6 new messages, all from the same person. Who the fuck was Tanya?

I stood there for a few minutes debating what to do. On the hand I was extremely curious as to who this woman was that kept texting my Edward. Rationally I knew that it could be anyone, but I had this really sick feeling in my stomach that I might not like what I saw if I read the texts. It would be an extreme invasion of his privacy, but my curiosity won out and as wrong as I knew it was, I clicked on the texts. Then I immediately wished that I hadn't.

The first text was from last night at some point. It simply said "Hey, baby." That was bad enough, but I kept reading and I immediately felt ill. The second text said "I'm sorry about what happened Thursday night, Eddie. I wish your trip here had been different." The next few went along those same lines, but the last one is the one that really killed me. It said "I know this is a rough time for you, but you know I love you. Come back to Chicago where you belong so that we don't have to keep being apart."

After I read that text, I felt my stomach roll and I rushed to the bathroom. I threw up everything in my stomach and then just sat on my bathroom floor. I curled myself into a ball and cried. I was upset at myself and at Edward. I didn't know what the hell was going on, but he obviously had a girlfriend in Chicago. Oh God, he was going to date both of us at once. I couldn't believe it. Everything that I wanted to believe about Edward must have been a lie. He had completely fooled me.

I don't know how long I stayed there crying in the bathroom, but at some point I finally managed to get up and brush my teeth. I looked at myself in the mirror and realized that I looked like complete shit, but I didn't care. I was such a fool for believing in Edward, especially after he had already lied to me once. What was that saying? Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. It was beyond accurate.

I was walking back into the living room when I heard a knock on the door. I went to see who it was and saw that it was Edward. I took in a deep breath before opening the door. I had to face him and it might as well be now.

"Hey baby, I'm sorry to just drop by but I forgot –" he started, before he really looked at me. It must have been obvious that I had been crying because he immediately stepped towards me with a concerned look on his face. "Bella, what's wrong?" He asked. Oh this was going to be fun.

I looked him square in the eye and replied "Just a little dose of reality, _Eddie_." He blanched at the use of that sickening nickname that his other girlfriend obviously had for him. Then he looked down and noticed that I was holding his iPhone in my hands.

"Bella," he said, warily. "What's going on? Why did you call me that?"

"Oh, I'm sorry. Is that name reserved solely for Tanya? I didn't realize. My mistake."

That was it. He knew then that I knew. I saw his eyes widen and then he reached his arm out to me, but I stepped back before he could touch me. I couldn't handle having him touch me at this point. I was barely holding on as it was and if he touched me I was bound to lose it again.

"I don't know what happened, Bella, but please let me explain," he said, but I cut him off with a sharp laugh.

"Are you kidding me? You want me to let you explain? How the fuck do you think you are going to explain your Chicago girlfriend to me? Did you think that I was just going to be okay with it? I had sex with you! I helped you cheat on your girlfriend! Do you have any idea how that makes me feel?"

"Bella, no! Tanya isn't my girlfriend. Well she isn't my girlfriend anymore. I broke up with her. I swear to you that she isn't in my life anymore."

I just shook my head at him. I really didn't want to hear any of his excuses. "Edward, she's been texting you since last night. Apparently she loves you and is waiting for you to move back to Chicago with her. I don't even know what to say about this. Do you know what that felt like to read those texts?"

I saw something flash in his eyes then, and I soon realized that it was anger. In a very calm voice he said "So you read the texts on my phone, assumed the worst, and now have no desire to let me explain? You invaded my privacy, but I'm the bad guy here?"

I opened my mouth to let him explain, but he just held up his hand. "Save it, Bella. I'm beyond pissed that you would even read my text messages. If you had asked me I would have been more than willing to let you read anything of mine, look through anything of mine. I have nothing to hide from you. Tanya is my past. I flew to Chicago and broke up with her, which was something I should have done before I ever even moved here. But I did what I could to make sure that I did the right thing by you and you repay that by not only going through my phone, but also not allowing me to explain myself? What the hell, Bella?"

I had no idea how he managed to turn this back on me, and I didn't know how to answer him. Sure I knew that I was wrong for reading his messages, but surely I still had a right to be mad. Right? He had still kept secrets from me.

"Bella, when you are willing to really talk to me about this, then call me. But I can't keep apologizing for what happened when we first met and I know that most of your anger is coming from the fact that you probably still haven't completely forgiven me for everything. I'm not perfect, Bella, but I'm not a cheater. Last night and this morning was the most amazing thing I have ever experienced. I feel things for you that I didn't think I would ever feel for anyone. But I can't make you trust me and I can't be with you if you aren't willing to understand that I am human and I am not perfect. I have flaws and sometimes I will mess up."

I didn't know what to say to him. Was he right? Was some of my anger because I hadn't completely let go of what had happened before? But why hadn't he told me about the girl in Chicago? It was all so confusing at the moment and I didn't even know where to begin trying to talk to him about it. So I did the only thing that I could do and handed him his phone. He took it, his eyes never leaving mine, and then he turned around and walked back to his car. I shut the door and then slid down to the floor. It was a mess and I had a feeling that Edward wasn't the only one to blame for that fight. But I also wasn't sure how to make it right or if it was even worth making things right.

**So, who thinks Bella was wrong for what she did? Was Edward right to be upset at her? Or should they both have tried to be a little more adult and talk instead of fight?**

**I have to admit that I'm guilty of going through a guy's phone when I probably shouldn't have. Anyone else guilty of this?**


	15. Chapter 15

**Only a couple of more chapters to go after this one! The next update will be fast, I promise.. either tonight or tomorrow! :)**

EPOV

Chapter Fifteen

The week following the absolute disaster that happened at Bella's was terrible for me. I had to see Bella every day at the university, but we weren't speaking. Well it was more that Bella wasn't speaking to me. I had been so pissed off that she went through my phone, but after a day or so I realized that I was an idiot. Bella was wrong, but if I had come clean to her from the beginning it never would have been a problem. I had every intention of telling Bella, but I was a coward and kept putting it off.

Bella and I only spoke to each other when it was necessary, which wasn't often. Between the classes that she was teaching and the meetings and other things that I seemed to have to constantly attend, we were not around each other all that much. The few times that I would see Bella, she would avert her eyes from mine. I could tell that she was not only angry, but hurt. When I would catch her laughing with some of her coworkers, the laugh never quite reached her eyes. It killed me because I knew that I had done that to her.

I wanted to talk to her, but I just didn't know what to say. I needed to apologize, but I also really needed for her to let me explain. Maybe I didn't deserve that from her, but I still felt like a huge part of our problem was that she wasn't ever going to trust me. If we were ever to have a relationship, we had to work through our issues. And I wanted to so badly. I had only known Bella for a few weeks, but she was important to me. I needed her in my life. I just wasn't sure that she felt the same way about me.

These were the things that I was thinking about on the Saturday after our fight when I heard someone open my front door. I poked my head out of the living room and saw Rosalie standing in my foyer, her arms crossed and glaring at me. Why the hell had I ever given her and Emmett a spare key to my house?

"What are you doing here Rosalie?" I asked her, not at all in the mood for her bitchiness.

"You fucked up, Edward, and you better fix it."

I raised an eyebrow at her, but didn't say anything. Knowing Rosalie, she wasn't done just yet.

"What the hell were you thinking?! Bella told me what happened. She called me and Alice crying because she thought that you were using her to cheat on your girlfriend in Chicago! For someone so damn smart you can be such an idiot. Why didn't you tell Bella about Tanya when you told her about everything else?"

I sighed and walked back into the living room, knowing that Rose would follow me. She did and she sat on the couch opposite me, waiting for my response. I finally said "I don't know. It wasn't that I was intentionally not telling her, I just didn't know what to say. And things were going so well between us that I didn't want to even think about Tanya, let alone talk about her with Bella. The Bella went through my phone and everything just went to shit."

"It went to shit because you weren't honest with her! Now I have a hurt friend that thinks she is nothing better than a quick fuck while you are away from your girlfriend and I have a brother-in-law that's life has gone to shit because he can't figure out how to keep the best thing that has happened to him!"

"I know all of that, Rosalie. I don't need you coming to my house and telling me what the problem is. But I tried to explain to Bella that she was so much more than just that to me and she wouldn't listen. She went through my phone, read texts that are from a damn crazy person, and wouldn't let me explain! So tell me what I'm supposed to do about that, since you seem to have all the answers."

Rosalie stood up and walked into the kitchen. I heard her open and shut the refrigerator before she walked back into the living room and handed me a beer. She opened her own and took a drink from it before she spoke to me again.

"You and Bella are both so frustrating and just so damn stubborn. I don't know how I thought I was going to make it through this day trying to talk to both of you without a little alcohol. No one could handle the two of you without a little help."

"Wait, you talked to Bella today? About what happened? What did she say?"

I was not above begging Rosalie for answers. I desperately wanted to know if there was a way to fix all of this and, if so, how I should go about it.

"Edward, I did talk to her. And I told her the same thing that you told her the other day. She was wrong and she got mad mostly because she isn't willing to trust you. Now I'm going to tell you something. Bella isn't like the girls that you have dated before. She is smart and sweet and not after you for your money. She's actually a nice girl. But you are handling her the same way you handled Tanya and every girl before her. You tell her what you think she needs to know because you think that you know best. And maybe with those other girls you were right. But you can't be that way with Bella. She's your equal, Edward, and you've got to start treating her that way."

I kept replaying Rose's advice over and over after she left. Was that really what I was doing with Bella? Was I treating her the same way that I had always treated the other girls? It seemed like it, and I wasn't happy about that. Rose was right. Bella was very different than anyone else that I had dated and I didn't want to treat her the same way that I had treated them. I wanted Bella to know exactly how I felt about her. She deserved to know that I thought she was the most beautiful and most wonderful woman in the world.

With that decision made, I grabbed my keys and drove straight to Bella's house. I wasn't going to waste even another second without trying to make things right with her. When I knocked on her door I sent up a silent prayer that she wouldn't just tell me to leave. I needed her to listen to me, to hear me out.

She opened the door and didn't seem at all surprised that I was standing there. She gave me a tight smile and said "I'm guessing that Rose talked to you, too."

I nodded and she opened the door wider, signaling for me to come in. I followed her into her living room and sat down on her couch. Unfortunately it was the same couch that she had fucked me on just a week before, and my mind was immediately on how wonderful she looked riding me. I had to try and shift my legs to hide the hard on that was growing in my pants. Even in a fight I still couldn't get enough of Bella Swan.

Bella started speaking, snapping my attention back to her. "Edward, I want to apologize to you. It was wrong of me to check your text messages. I would have been pissed had the situation been reversed, and I don't blame you for being upset. So I am sorry for invading your privacy that way."

"Bella, it's okay. I wish it hadn't happened, but I was wrong, too. You were right that I hadn't told you everything, though I do promise you that Tanya and I are broken up and were broken up before I brought you back here last Friday night."

"Can you please tell me what happened?" She asked me. "I promise to listen this time."

I nodded and began to tell her about my relationship with Tanya. I explained that I didn't break up with Tanya when I moved here even though I knew the relationship was over, and that the minute I had met her I knew that I was going to fly back to Chicago and end things with Tanya. I told her that when she kissed me in my office I immediately booked an earlier flight and went to Tanya's house and broke things off with her.

"Bella, I swear to you that I never had any intention of dating both you and her. Tanya was upset about the break up and said some things that made me think that she was not going to give up easily. But since she was in Chicago and I was here, I didn't think much of it. I see now that her way of dealing with things was to pretend like they didn't happen, hence the texts that you saw. But it is over."

Bella nodded and said "I believe you, Edward. I really do. I don't think that you are lying and I'm sorry that I didn't let you explain before. But I'm still very confused about things and I just don't know what I want to do."

I moved over so that I was sitting next to Bella and I rubbed her back. "Bella, I need you to know something. I've had girlfriends and girls that I've dated. But I've never felt anything for one of those girls like what I feel for you. I think that you are amazing. You are so smart and so beautiful and I feel like a better person when I am with you."

Bella smiled and a tear fell down her cheek. I wiped it off and leaned in to place a kiss against her lips, but she moved back away from me. "Please, Edward, don't kiss me. When you kiss me I can't think about anything and I need to say this. You were right last week. A lot of my problem and why I got so angry and upset does stem from the fact that I'm not over what happened. I don't know if I can trust you. I want to trust you, I really do. But I just need some time. I need to think about things and make sure that this is something that I can do before we start a relationship. I'm so sorry."

My heart clenched in my chest at her words. There was nothing I could say to fix any of this because I knew that she needed to do this. She needed to be able to trust me and to know that she could begin a relationship with me with no issues standing in the way. But I wasn't going to lose Bella Swan. I was going to prove to her that I was the right man for her.


	16. Chapter 16

BPOV

Chapter Sixteen

It had been a month since Edward and I had finally talked about everything. Edward had admitted his feelings for me, and it took all I had to tell him that I couldn't just jump into a relationship with him. I wanted Edward. There was something about him that just drew me to him, but I needed to make sure that I could handle a relationship and the trust that came along with a relationship before jumping into one with Edward.

Edward had been great over the past month. He hadn't pressured me at all, but he had made sure that I knew he still wanted me. It was never anything big, but at least twice a week there would be something waiting for me in my office from him. Sometimes it was beautiful flower arrangements that he had gotten with little cards that said he was thinking of me. Other times it would be something very simple, like a post-it note stuck on my office door just telling me that I was beautiful. It didn't happen every day, so it was always a very pleasant surprise when I found something from Edward. I didn't know what I had done to deserve someone like him trying so hard for my attention, but I was grateful.

It was a Friday evening and I was at Alice's house talking with her about my week. I loved Alice to death, but she loved to hear about drama in people's lives. She said it was like listening to a soap opera, and I was currently her favorite show.

"I can't believe that he has been trying so hard, Bella. What a sweetie. I mean, I know that he was a complete idiot in the beginning, but let's face it. All guys are idiots and don't understand anything about relationships. But it sounds like he has really come around and will do whatever it takes to get back in your life. And in your pants!"

I laughed and threw a pillow at Alice. I should have known better than to spill about how amazing sex had been with Edward, but in a moment of weakness I had caved. She got to hear all about how great Edward was. She also got to hear all about how much I missed him, both his body and his mind.

"I think I'm ready, Alice. It's been a month and I still feel that same pull to Edward that I always have. Things were so fucked up in the beginning, but over the past month we've been around each other a lot at the university. He's so intelligent and seems to actually have his professional life together, which is more than I can say for most of the guys I meet. And he's been so sweet. I'm finally ready to just put all of it behind me and jump in with Edward."

Alice squealed and gave me a hug. "I'm so excited for you, Bella! Go get your man!"

I left her house and decided to drive into town to the bakery that I like to buy things from sometimes. I wanted to pick up some cupcakes for Edward. It was kind of cheesy, but all I could think about was licking some of the frosting off of Edward's lips. Plus it would be a kind of peace offering for him before I told him I wanted him.

I was walking towards the bakery when a familiar head of messy bronze hair caught my eye in the little Italian restaurant next door. I stopped and looked in the window and saw Edward sitting at one of the tables. The restaurant was kind of romantic and he was sitting at a small booth for two. He shifted to the side and I was able to see that he was there with a woman. My heart clenched in my chest at the sight. Edward and the woman were laughing and looked like they were having a good time. I was too late. I had told Edward that I couldn't be with him now and he had moved on. Of course he had moved on. He was handsome and smart and any girl would be lucky to have him. Why the hell had I waited so long?

I walked back to my car without going to the bakery and I called Rose. I was in tears and I told her what I saw.

"Bella, are you sure he was on a date? It just doesn't seem likely. He's head over heels for you. He wants you."

"They were at a romantic restaurant, laughing together and eating dinner. And she was gorgeous. And she probably doesn't get mad and slap him and check his phone and not trust him. She's probably perfect for him."

"I'm not letting you do this, Bella," Rose said to me. "You are going to talk to Edward and not just assume the worst. Do you understand me? You said that you were ready to trust him and start a relationship. Give him a chance to explain to you what happened because you have no idea what you really saw."

She was right. I got Edward's address from her and drove there. I sat on his front porch and waited for him to come home. I was hoping with all that I had that he would be home early and that he would be alone. I don't know if my heart could take it if I saw him bring the beautiful woman back to his house.

Luck was on my side because just an hour later he pulled up and he was alone. He got out of his car and when he saw me he gave me that smirk that always made my panties wet. He was so gorgeous. I couldn't stop myself from jumping up and running to him. He saw what I was doing and stretched his arms out, and I jumped into them, giving him a long hard kiss. I had missed kissing him so much. I had no idea that I could miss something that I'd only had for a day, but I did.

I finally pulled away from the kiss and saw him smiling at me. "Edward," I said. "I want you. I'm ready. Please tell me that I'm not too late."

He wrapped my legs around his waist and walked with me into his house. He pushed me against the wall and gave me another kiss before saying "You could never be too late, Bella. I'm yours and I will always be yours."

"I saw you tonight. I was walking to the bakery and I saw you at dinner. I had already made the decision to talk to you, but that almost killed me. I thought that you had moved on, that I had been too difficult."

He pulled me against him and kissed my temple. "Oh my beautiful Bella. I'm so glad that you came here to talk to me instead of jumping to conclusions. That was Kate Cullen, my cousin. She called me last minute and asked if I wanted to grab dinner with her. You're still the one that I want. The only one that I want."

I ran my hands up his back and fisted them in his hair. "Show me. Right here and right now, Edward. Make me yours."

That was all the encouragement that he needed. He lowered me to the ground and make quick work of both of our clothes. When we were both naked and panting, he picked me up again and wrapped my legs around his waist. His hard dick was so close to where I really wanted him and I moaned at the sensation of finally feeling him again. He spun me around and sat me down on his dining room table. I layed back on my elbows and looked at him standing before me. His gaze was burning over my body and I was dripping wet for him.

"You're mine, Bella," he said and then he slammed inside me, making me scream out his name. It was hard and fast and I came faster than I ever had before.

"Mine, Bella, all mine," he kept saying over and over as he thrust in and out of me. I was working on orgasm number two when he slung one of my legs over his shoulder, making him hit even deeper inside me.

"Oh fuck, Edward!" I screamed. "I'm cumming baby, please cum with me," I begged him. That was all it took and we were cumming together. He leaned down and kissed me all over my face before finally settling on my lips.

"You. _Peck._ Are. _Peck._ Perfect," he said to me as he kept kissing me. I smiled at his words and ran my hands over his back.

"No, we are perfect. Together," I told him and he smiled. This was right. In his arms was where I belonged and this time I wasn't letting anything come between us.

**A/N – Just one more chapter to go!**

**Story Rec: The One Who Got Away by Racheli – this is currently one of my favorite fics! Check it out if you get a chance! :)**


	17. Chapter 17

BPOV

Chapter Seventeen

_Six Months Later_

The wedding was finally over and I was never more grateful in my life to be able to sit down. I had been standing in the front of that church in heels that were killing my feet for what felt like hours. Between pictures and the ceremony, I'd barely had a second to sit down and relax. And sitting in the back of a limo on the way to the reception was probably the only chance I would have to just relax for a few more hours yet.

"You looked so beautiful today, Bella," Edward said to me as I leaned into his side. He was running his fingers up and down my bare arm and it was sending tingles all over my body. Six months after finally deciding to trust Edward and we were still together. It had been the most amazing six months of my life and I never once regretted my decision to be with Edward.

I smiled up at him and said "I'm surprised that anyone noticed how I looked with Alice as the bride. She definitely made sure that everyone knew today was all about her."

Edward laughed and replied "You are right, Alice loves being the center of attention. But it doesn't matter who is around, you are always the person that my eyes will be on."

I loved it when Edward said things like that to me. He always said such sweet and wonderful things. Being with Edward now that we had put everything behind us was the easiest thing in the world. We got along so well and had so much fun no matter what we were doing. And the sex was amazing.

Alice got engaged right after Edward and I finally got together. I thought that she would want to wait and have a long engagement so that she would have a lot of time to plan her wedding, but she surprised me. She told me that she was going to become Mrs. Jasper Whitlock as fast as possible, so she put together a wedding in just under five months. And it was a beautiful wedding. Alice did a great job and I was honored to have been standing at her side.

When we got the reception, Alice and Jasper did all of the fun things that the bride and groom do. They danced their first dance, they cut the cake and they greeted all of their guests. I did what I could for Alice, but she seemed to be just fine, so I finally had a chance to dance with Edward.

I leaned my head against his shoulder as we danced and I just enjoyed the feeling of his arms wrapped around me. I had never really thought about getting married, even during all of the wedding planning with Alice. But that changed the minute I saw Edward in his tux. He was so handsome and I let myself dream about what it would be like for me to walk down the aisle in the pretty white dress to Edward who would be waiting for me at the other end. I had to admit that the idea made me happier than I thought it would. But I knew I was getting way too ahead of myself. Edward and I had not every discussed getting married.

I loved Edward and I knew that he loved me. One night about two months ago we were laying in bed just talking and I thought that he was asleep. I had been wanting to tell him how much I loved him, but I never knew how. I had, however, taken to whispering the words to him when he was sleeping. That night I leaned over and brushed a kiss across his cheek before whispering "I love you." The minute I said the words his eyes popped open and he held me against him.

"Do you mean it, Bella" he had asked. My heart was pounding over what was happening, but I nodded. I did mean it and I wanted him to know. Luckily for me he smiled and said the six most wonderful words that I had ever heard. "I love you, too, my Bella." It had been perfect and ever since then I would tell him how much I loved him every chance that I got.

After a few dances, it was announced that Alice would be throwing the bouquet. I wasn't really excited about standing in a group of overly eager girls hoping to catch a bunch of flowers, but I would do it for Alice. She was so excited and there was nothing that I would to ruin that for her. I went and lined up with the other women and watched Alice get ready in front of us. She turned her back and lifted the bouquet over her head like she was about to toss it back, but she stopped. She lowered her arms and turned around to face us.

She looked directly at me and I just looked back at her, puzzled. She smiled and walked up to me. Once she got to where I was standing, she handed the bouquet out to me.

"Alice, what are you doing?" I asked. "You're supposed to throw it."

She laughed and put the bouquet in my hands. "I'm supposed to throw it so that everyone can see who the next girl will be to get married. But I know who that will be without having to throw it. So I'm giving my bouquet to that person."

I looked down at the bouquet in my hand and then back up to her, still confused. She just placed her hands on my shoulders and turned me around. There, kneeling on one knee, was Edward and he was holding out a little blue box with a beautiful ring.

The hand that wasn't holding the bouquet flew up to cover my mouth and I immediately felt the tears in my eyes. I couldn't believe that this was happening. It felt like a dream.

After what felt like forever Edward started talking. "Isabella Marie Swan, you are the smartest, most beautiful, kindest person that I have ever met. I've made many mistakes and I would spend the rest of my life making them up to you, if you will let me. I want to be with you forever. I love you so much. Will you marry me?"

I was nodding my head before he could even finish. I was smiling bigger than I ever had in my entire life and the minute the word "yes" came out of my mouth, Edward had me in his arms, hugging me and kissing me. I could hear applause all around us, but all I cared about in that moment was Edward.

He slipped the ring on my finger and I couldn't help the tears that were coming down my face. It was so beautiful and he was so wonderful. I couldn't believe that he had actually proposed, but I was the happiest girl in the world. I was going to spend my life with Edward. Who would have ever thought that I would marry the stranger from the plane?

**A/N – And they lived happily ever after! Thank you so much to everyone that read and reviewed this story.. it truly meant so much to me that so many people were invested in this story and it was such a wonderful experience. I have every intention of continuing to write fanfiction, and a lot of that is due to the amazing responses that I received for this story. There was a lot of drama that I hadn't intended and things that I might would go back and change, but for the most part I am extremely happy with the story and I hope that you guys are, too.**

**I am still working on my drabble fic Off Limits, and that will continue until I am finished. I wrote a one shot called Masquerade that I am contemplating extending into a full length fic. If you guys would like you can check it out and let me know if you would like it expanded. **

**Thank you again to everyone! You guys are so awesome! :) **


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